NT_030818

30 | March 8, 2018 | The Northbrook tower School
northbrooktower.com
Northbrook students excel at team debate event
Maple students
take first place
Alexa Burnell
Freelance Reporter
More than 100 students
from the North Shore Middle
School Debate League
united at Wilmette Junior
High School on Wednesday,
Feb. 21, presenting
their viewpoints on a variety
of hot-button topics
with hopes of winning a
coveted team trophy or individual
speaker award.
Students from Northbrook’s
Maple School
earned first place in several
categories.
“Overall, Maple took the
top spots among 60 teams
that make up the North
Shore Middle School Debate
League. What a great
job to all who participated
in a fun night of competition,”
said Dr. Nate Carter,
principal at Maple School.
The Debate League was
started nearly a decade ago
by Chelsea Alsberg, from
Glencoe’s Central School,
and Rick Katz, a former
teacher at Wilmette’s Avoca
School.
The League includes
students from Winnetka’s
Skokie Washburne, Northbrook’s
Maple School and
Niles Township Northridge
Prep. Two years ago,
Wilmette’s Highcrest Middle
School and Wilmette
Junior High joined the
league, led by parent volunteer
Gloria Fountain and
HMS teachers Christina
Heyde and Anne Bishop.
The experience gives kids
the unique opportunity to
research and discuss topics
in-depth.
“We try to balance between
serious topics and
ones that are more relatable
for this age group,”
Alsberg said. “Students
Jack Miller, Kalen Mehta and Darshan Kommanapalli earned first place in the varsity competition at a North Shore
Middle School Debate League tournament at Wilmette Junior High School on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Photo Submitted
have explored everything
from gun control, aquafarming
and immigration
to topics debating if parents
should be allowed to
ban books from the school
library. Most importantly,
we want kids to learn that
they have voice and how
powerful those voices
can be. As we see current
events unfold like those in
Parkland, it reminds us of
the impact young people
have, and the necessity to
teach them how to deliver
a compelling argument.”
Fountain was first introduced
to debate when her
own children became involved
in the Chicago Debate
League. She decided
to help reignite the program
at HMS and WJHS.
For her, teaching young
students the basics of debate
and watching them
grow, is most rewarding.
“We teach the kids that
the three main components
of an argument are
Assertion, Reasoning and
Evidence,” Fountain said.
“We also watch other
speakers giving speeches,
break them apart, and discuss
what made their presentation
most compelling.
It’s amazing to see how
quickly these kids grow
from the first session to the
last.”
During the Feb. 21 tournament,
teen judges from
the New Trier debate team
gave competitors tips such
as speak confidently, slow
down, take notes on other
speakers and simplify
statements.
Graeme Lane, of Glenview,
and Leo Purcell, of
Winnetka, both New Trier
juniors, were among the
judges. They coached the
students, while reflecting
on the skills they have
gained during their years
with the debate team.
“Regardless of what career
path you take, learning
how to speak clearly and
persuasively is so important,”
Lane said. “I’ve also
learned valuable research
skills that can be applied
to so many areas of life.”
Purcell added how
much he enjoyed coaching
younger students hone
skills that will help build
confidence and can be applied
to future studies.
“It’s been great to teach
the younger kids all that we
have learned from our own
experiences with debate,”
Purcell said. “Coaching
and judging also helps reinforces
what we know,
and I think the younger
kids appreciate the insight
we give.”
Heyde is a former lawyer
and has been teaching
for nearly 13 years now.
She has been instrumental
in bringing the opportunity
for debate to Wilmette.
“Debate prepares these
kids to become active
and responsible citizens.
It teaches them how to
reflect on their own personal
beliefs and how to
discuss moral, legal and
ethical topics,” Heyde
said. “Watching students
develop into well-spoken,
confident speakers, consistently
reinforces the
value of a strong debate
program. “
Similarly, Bishop, a former
member herself of the
New Trier debate team and
current sixth-grade science
teacher, added, “learning
how to speak clearly and
eloquently about world issues
is such valuable experience.”
Local award winners
Novice team: 1st, Catherine Tang, Irene Park and
Yoonsol Chang (Maple School); 2nd, Julia Alexander,
Lyla Kelber and Anna Seftenberg (Central School);
4th, Katelyn Halwax, Samantha Epstein and Mia
Spilotro (Central School); 5th, Theresa Lee, Kelly
Kim (Maple School)
Novice speaker: 1st, Katelyn Halwax (Central
School); 2nd, Caroline Warren (Central School); 3rd,
Julia Alexander (Central School); 4th, Lyla Kelber
(Central School)
Varsity team: 1st, Kalen Mehta, Darshan Kommanapalli
and Jack Miller (Maple School); 2nd, Rosemarie
Verstrerre, Jacob Moscow and Henry D’Souza
(Central); 3rd, Colin Corby (Wilmette Junior High) and
Ben Wu (Highcrest Middle); 4th Nathan Yoon, Moses
Chua and Sammy Schwartzberg (Maple School)
Varsity speaker: 1st, Darshan Kommanapalli (Maple
School); 2nd, Jack Miller (Maple School); 3rd, Kalen
Menta (Central School); 4th, Henry D’Souza (Central
School); 5th, Rosemarie Verstrerre (Central School);
6th, Jacob Moscow (Central School); 7th, Ben Wu
(Highcrest Middle); 8th, Colin Corby (Wilmette Junior
High)