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It's 8 a.m., and 54 earnest and excited middle school students are arriving at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School in Moraga, Calif., with notebooks stuffed with research. On this particular Saturday, they are being called upon to debate topics including California's use of the death penalty and U.S. policy in Iraq. Some lighter topics occupy the agenda as well, including the influence of television and the use of cellular phones in schools. For more than a month, students and teachers have been preparing for the launch of the CMC-sponsored East Bay Debate League, one of a half-dozen middle school debate leagues across the nation started by the Debate Union's Middle School Public Debate Program (MSPDP). And now, as ties are straightened and the fog lifts in the hills, it's time to put hard work into practice.
In this new initiative, alumni from several of The Claremont Colleges, current CMC students, and teachers are collaborating with The Claremont Colleges Debate Union to teach debating in Bay Area schools using the model developed by Debate Union director John Meany and Kate Shuster, volunteer director of the Middle School Public Debate Program. The East Bay Debate League is a pilot program for a planned expansion to public, private, and charter schools across Northern California.
As the morning progresses in Moraga, the participating middle school students are assigned to a side in the first debate, and the topic is announced: Television is a Bad Influence, one of four issues for the tournament. A cheer goes up from the crowd and students scuttle off to jot notes and huddle with teammates in the prep period that precedes the debate. Judges, including Max Mautner '10, Charlie Sprague '10, Will Grant '94, Shahram Seydin-Noor (POM '92), and Adrienne Hall (SCR '02) are ready to dispense constructive feedback; debate coaches are helping students put finishing touches on arguments and calming the occasional display of anxiety.
"To think that these youngsters were eager to be up early on a weekend morning, participating in an academic activity for the entire day, is so exciting," said Bev Lathrope P '06, the debate coach for Stanley Intermediate School. "Our students are beginning to see the connection that this activity will have to the classroom and other parts of their lives, whether it's an interaction with an adult outside of the academic arena, an extracurricular endeavor, or a leadership opportunity within the community."
As a community service and educational outreach initiative of CMC, the program seeks to build sustainable, rigorous, and accessible debating programs in class and competition so that students are exposed to the skills associated with debating and communication at an early age. The students in the new league join thousands of students participating in class and contest debate sponsored by the program, built largely on volunteer and community support.
"It is the core ideals of CMC in action," notes alumnus Will Grant, who is the administrative director of the Moving On Center School for participatory arts and somatic research. "The tournament gives students experience using essential skills of democracy: dialogue, winning and losing arguments, being informed about issues, and honing thinking skills."
Four debates later, with thinking skills honed, outstanding teams and individuals are recognized at the awards ceremony. All schools manage to win awards, including students from Orinda Intermediate School, an achievement that has special significance for its alumni Sprague and Mautner, current CMCers who are now officiating at the event and training students to debate. "I always enjoy judging middle school tournaments, but it was particularly gratifying to work in the community I grew up in," says Sprague, a Debate Union intern who represented CMC at the World University Debate Championship this winter.
"Seeing a debate program crop up in the very school district in which I grew up was especially important to me," added fellow Debate Union intern Max Mautner. "I know the students I judged, and I know the parents I trained to judge. It is always fulfilling to see students debate, but particularly so at the this tournament."
While the purpose of the tournament is to function as a laboratory for students to develop thinking, speaking, and listening skills, it is also an extension of the mission of the College. "This has been an extraordinary opportunity to establish and maintain connections between alumni and current CMC students in a rapidly expanding community service and educational enrichment program," says Meany. "In the Middle School Public Debate Program, these volunteers have been able to work with the next educational generation to develop students' critical thinking, professional, and leadership potential."
Additional alumni involvement is planned in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Los Angeles as the Debate Union's outreach efforts continue to expand. In the meantime, the students of the East Bay Debate League reflect on their experience and look forward to the next tournament.
"The debate tournament was an amazing opportunity for our students to interact with students from other middle schools in an academic forum," said Lathrope. "Experiences like this just do not exist for students this age, and it's such an important time in their lives for them to be exposed to positive intellectual activities. The support of the college interns was crucial in terms of providing positive role models for the students and giving them a goal for the future. Our students cannot say enough positive things about their experiences, from those who came home with awards to those who finished in last place!"
For more information about the Middle School Public Debate Program, visit the program Website: www.middleschooldebate.com, or contact Kate Shuster, kate.shuster@claremontmckenna.edu. CMC will host the National Middle School Debate Championships on April 21-22.
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A medal-winning team from Stanley Intermediate School.
Middle school students prep for an upcoming debate tournament.
Debate Union alumni and current debaters turned out for the event. Top row (left to right): Max Mautner '10, Charlie Sprague '10. Bottom row: Shahram Seydin-Noor, Pomona '92; Adrienne Hall; Scripps '02; Will Grant '94.
Stanley Debate coach Bev Lathrope
(P '06) with Kate Shuster, the volunteer director of the Debate Union's Middle School Public Debate Program.
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