Shamrock Fall 2011 - The Chandler School

Shamrock Fall 2011 11Iclearly remember the excitement ofthat Friday afternoon in May 2011,watching the students of the newlyformed debate team practically eruptwith excitement as they were declaredwinners in their first formal debatecompetition. What was especiallygratifying was that our strong showingwas against two schools with longdebate traditions.That tournament pretty muchmade my year, but it was one ofthe first steps in truly establishing adebate program at Chandler. Theteam started in the spring when astudent asked me to advise a team.I was very inspired and agreed toit quickly for two reasons:one, it’s a chance to furtherdemonstrate the strength ofour students, and two, thedebate format connects soseamlessly with historicaldiscussions. Participatingin debates is an extensionof Chandler’s presence inthe community, and morespecifically it’s an extensionof what I aim to teach.last year the clubstarted with 13 sixth-gradersand grew to 25. This year,the club is open to sixth-,seventh- and eighth-gradestudents and boasts 65members. Participantsrange from students who areconfident class participants tothose who are more reluctant.It’s a pleasure to watch eachstudent doggedly work towardpresenting a linear argumentwith clarity and poise.The new Middle School buildingis an asset to the club, particularlygiven our greatly expanded size. Thelarge rooms can easily be arrangedto mimic a tournament setup andstudents have plenty of space for theirlaptops to take notes during practices.I can’t wait to host the May 2012tournament–Chandler’s first timehosting a debate tournament–andshow off the new South Campus to thecompeting schools.Andy Hulm started a debate team in the Spring of 2011at the suggestion of a student. The team’s trial run in thespring culminated in an excellent showing at Chandler’sfirst formal debate competition, where four of Chandler’ssix teams were declared winners of their individualdebates. This year, fifth grade teacher Chad Parker andseventh grade history teacher Manoj Choudhary havejoined Hulm in leading the greatlyexpanded debate club,which also has becomean elective class.Chandler is part of the MiddleSchool Public Debate Program (MSPDP),the world’s largest program for class andcontest debating in grades six through eight.Per the MSPDP’s rules and guidelines, topicsfor debate competition are announced twoto four weeks before the debate itself. Topicsare presented as a prompt, such as: violentvideo games are harmful for children andshould be made illegal. The lead-time beforea tournament allows students to research bothaspects of the topic. This is important becausethe teams don’t find out what side of theprompt they’re arguing until they arrive at thetournament.At the tournament, the team pairings areannounced, students are given time to firm up their arguments,and the debates begin, each in a separate classroom.our strong showing in the spring 2011 tournament was mirrored in our first leagueevent in December 2011, in which 27 students in sixth, seventh and eighth gradesparticipated. Three of the nine teams that entered won awards, and two teams placed inthe top ten. Additionally, eight students earned individual speaker awards. This is a greataffirmation that Chandler students know how to effectively research and present informationwith credibility and confidence. I’m looking forward to seeing how we measure against morearea schools, and I’m excited to see the debate program continue to grow and strengthen atChandler.By Andy Hulm, sixth grade history