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WHO’S UP FOR DEBATE?CICS Northtown’s debate club proves that hard work and commitment really do pay off. by Kate Floyd | photos by Tommy Giglio

wWalk into CICS Northtown’s policy debate club practice, and you’ll wonder if you’ve stumbled onto the set of a younger, more diverse taping of “Meet the Press.” At the front of the room, two teams (each comprising a young woman and a young man) sit opposite each other, surrounded by stacks of notes and beeping timers. Other debate club members are seated at rows of desks, diligently writing notes as they listen carefully to the positions their peers drive home.

leFT TO riGhT: cics nOrThTOwn debaTe cOach niki andersOn wiTh TwO members OF The debaTe Team, lina and sam

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Who’sUpforDebate?

CICS Northtown’s 13-member team is part of the Chicago Debate League, an affiliate of the larger National Association for Urban Debate Leagues (NAUDL), which seeks to improve big-city education through the promotion of critical thinking and an active citizenry. This year, NAUDL teams are debating the resolution “The U.S. federal government should substantially increase social services for persons living in poverty in the U.S.” In this political era—when tea parties protest the tyranny of government, and budgets are being slashed to curb the federal deficit—the resolution couldn’t be more relevant.

In September, members of the CICS Northtown club selected cases that fall under the resolution’s “social services” umbrella. Today, they will be debating whether microfinance institutions (MFIs), the organizations that offer financial services such as credit and savings to underserved populations, should play a key role in alleviating poverty in the U.S.

As the debaters prepare their arguments, Danny, a senior who has been on the team for more than a year, sits down with me and explains the debate process. In policy debating, the “affirmative” team identifies a problem and proposes a specific “plan of action” to solve the problem. The opposing “negative” team argues that the plan of action is flawed or is no better than the status quo. At competitions, a judge listens to the arguments presented by both teams and decides who wins. There are no ties.

In today’s practice, the affirmative team’s debater, Catherine, provides details about MFIs that could preemptively squash the opposing team’s critique. Next, the opposing team’s debater, Lina, provides the first negative argument. Lina’s aim is to demonstrate the disadvantages of Catherine’s proposal, and to detail the negative consequences to which the pro-MFI plan could lead.

Even when music starts blasting from the dance club’s practice room upstairs, the students barely bat a lash—nothing seems to divert their attention from the debate. Today’s practice session is critical because it is the last time the debaters will gather as a club before they send two of their best teammates to the conference championship. The club competes in the LCC conference, where Northtown is in the company of 15 high schools including Evanston Township, Jones College Prep, and Lincoln Park. Coach Niki Anderson says being in the second-ranked conference has helped to motivate the kids:

“There is one conference above us, but also two below us. All of the teams we compete against have more experience in policy debate, but our kids are smart, and I’d rather they start at the bottom and work their way up.” Though the CICS Northtown debate tradition has been going on for nearly half a decade, the club’s debate style recently changed. When Ms. Anderson began coaching last school year, she saw her students struggling with a debating format called “congressional debate.” As a rule, congressional debate is more speech-heavy and involves a higher degree of politicking than policy debate, the alternative competitive debate format. “I felt we could benefit from a different type of competition, so I decided to try the Chicago Debate League’s policy debate,” Ms. Anderson says.

Moving from congressional-style to policy-style debate was about finding the right fit for CICS Northtown, and exposure to both kinds of debate has given the team a competitive advantage. Moreover, the Chicago Debate League and the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues are good partners to the club, providing support

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Who’sUpforDebate?

by training the students and coaches about how policy debate works. The organizations are also a source of small scholarships for the participating students, and judging by the fact that the club’s three seniors are headed to four-year colleges this fall, the scholarships will be put to good use.

Mario Ortiz, CICS Northtown’s college counselor, encourages students to emphasize their debate experience on their college applications:

“Debate has a certain caché about it that college admissions really love to see,” he says. “It’s a team activity that develops collaborative skills and has a strong intellectual and academic component. It also breeds perseverance, especially for those who stick it out for two or three years.” In terms of college readi-ness, there is little doubt that CICS Northtown debate graduates’ steadfast preparation will help them tackle the challenges of collegiate-level coursework.

Despite the advantages, the CICS Northtown debate club, like any upstart organization, has had its share of challenges. The primary issue is recruiting new kids. “It’s a pretty intimidating activity,” Ms. Anderson says.

A common assumption is that only the smartest students will succeed in debate club; the truth, however, is that it’s not a student’s pre-club intelligence that counts. It’s the student’s willingness to work hard and dedicate his or her time that really matters. The kids who seek to improve themselves are the ones who keep coming back.

Those who do commit—showing up twice a week throughout the school year—see the club as a sport of sorts, and their competitive spirit drives them to improve. Ms. Anderson speaks with pride as she discusses the impact the club has had on her kids: “The students are reading really difficult texts, and they’ve all improved their reading skills.” This qualitative finding is supported by empirical research: A recent study by Briana Mezuk, Ph.D., revealed that debate participation was linked to college-readiness gains in English and reading (based on ACT test score correlations). The study shows that debating improves students’ abilities in English composition, understanding nonfiction works, evaluating evidence, presenting rational arguments, and vocabulary development.

To see these students speaking confidently in front of their peers is to see them really shine. When Lina stumbles over a word in her practice argument, it barely fazes her—her partner, Sam, is there by her side, coaching and encouraging her. It’s this type of support that makes the difference. Ms. Anderson notes, “We have a lot of shy students, many of whom don’t normally speak up. You see them start to speak up, watch them stand up for themselves; it’s really neat to see.” Danny drills deeper, explaining that once you’ve spent some time learning the ropes, your personality shapes the role you’ll play as a debater. “If you like proving your point, you’ll like taking the affirmative side—if you like picking apart others’ arguments, you’ll like the negative side.”

Though a few of the team’s best debaters are graduating this year, the club has some rising stars. Keelun, a freshman who graduated from CICS Bucktown, takes copious notes during the practice

“We had some kids that came out for ‘intro to debate’ at the beginning of the year. They saw the amount of research and all the fast-talking that is required of participants, and they didn’t come back.”

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debate. He affords me the opportunity to flip through these notes, pointing out that each page represents a different technical aspect of the arguments his teammates are presenting.

Keelun’s reputation as a quick study sparks a warm discussion among the club members. Sam (a debating mastermind) says affectionately, “He’s as good as I am.” Sam and his teammate Lina will represent CICS Northtown at the big championship this weekend.

Keelun’s calm, respectful demeanor seems to fit the profile of a successful debater. As the NAUDL’s website describes it, “Debate is a structured competition, with procedures and rules designed to maximize educational value. Debaters cannot interrupt a speaker,

therefore voice level, aggressiveness, and even raw eloquence cannot dominate a debate round. Rather, debaters learn to under-stand and argue both sides of an issue, even if they personally favor one viewpoint. Debating is structured to provide a fair opportunity to win on either side of each issue, based primarily on the persuasive-ness of logic, evidence, and emotion presented.”

Debaters look after each other, learn the value of team commitment, develop strong speaking and listening skills, and consistently strive for better performance.

These aren’t just college preparatory skills; these are lessons that these students will take with them throughout their lives.

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Who’sUpforDebate?

“It’s a team activity that develops collaborative skills and has a strong intellectual and academic component.” —Mario Ortiz, CICS Northtown College Counselor

DEBATETEAMUPDATE:

CHICAGODEBATELEAGUEwww.chicagoudl.org

The Chicago Debate League (CDL) serves to advance the Mission of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS): to be the premier urban school district by providing high quality instruction, outstanding academic programs, and development supports to prepare its students for tomorrow's challenges. The CDL is one of the nation's oldest, largest, and very best Urban Debate Leagues. It instructs student participants in reading, speaking, writing, and listening—all of the language arts. With a rigorous critical thinking component, it is an outstanding and challenging academic program. In university campus classrooms and on electronic research databases, CPS debaters are preparing for their future success. Debate empowers all participating students, and thereby helps create school-wide norms and expectations of academic excellence.

NATIONALASSOCIATIONFORURBANDEBATELEAGUESwww.urbandebate.org

The Chicago Debate League is an affiliate of the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues (NAUDL). The NAUDL's purpose is, “to improve urban public education by empowering youth to become engaged learners, critical thinkers, and active citizens who are effective advocates for themselves and their communities.”

Copy courtesy of chicagoudl.org and urbandebate.org, respectively

As an individual, Sam won an award for second best overall speaker at the championship.

2ndPlace

Sam and Lina tied for fifth place out of 15 teams over the course of two days.

5thPlace

Chicago Debate League’s “Allstate CPS Conference Championships”dates: Friday, February 26 from 5:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.; and Saturday, February 27 from 8:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

location: Carl Schurz High School, Chicago, IL.