“Building a legacy of engagement with the critical issues of our time”

April 26, 2012

The members of the Marie Murphy Debate Club conducted themselves brilliantly during the inaugural Tri-School Debate Meet, held on April 25 in Northbrook.  The 16 teams that debated were from Central School (Glencoe), Maple School (Northbrook), and Marie Murphy.  This was our club’s first interscholastic competition, and each of Marie Murphy’s four teams demonstrated a mastery of the forensic skills they had learned during the months of preparation that preceded the tournament.

Marie Murphy Debate Club

Members of the MMS Debate Club are 8th grade students Manny Haye, Annie Herz, Diana Lungu, Carli Silverman, Claire Snitovsky, Tom Sorensen, and Frankie Valencia; 7th grade students Louis Shaw and Joey Suizzo; and 6th grade students Cara Savin and Phillip Shaw.

Debating in the format known as Parliamentary Debate, each of the three-member teams delivered two five-minute constructive speeches and one three-minute rebuttal favoring or opposing a topic they were assigned in a random draw only 15 minutes prior to the debate.  In addition, team members engaged their opposition in the fierce give-and-take called “points of information” that challenge speakers in the middle of the constructive speeches. Topics chosen by the coaches for this debate were “Teacher Tenure” and “The Death Penalty”.

Manny, Joey and Frankie prepare their arguments before the debate

Although there were no official winners and losers in this first “practice” tournament, our Debate Club members clearly felt that they had performed extremely well, and their coach, Mr. Katz, heartily agrees.  Several members expressed the desire to participate in an expanded schedule of tournaments next year and to learn about other debate formats such as Lincoln-Douglas and policy debate.  It will take hard work and dedication, but the Debate Club is anxious to meet the challenge!

March 26, 2012

OK, the big day is set: Our first intramural debate meet will be held on Wednesday, April 25, at Maple School in Northbrook.  Students from Marie Murphy, Central School (Glencoe) and Maple School (Northbrook) will engage in two rounds of parliamentary-style debate.  The start times haven’t been decided yet, but we predict that the first round will begin around 4 p.m., and the second round will begin an hour later.  Marie Murphy will provide transportation to and from the debate.  Parents are welcome to drive separately to the site and to watch the team in action.

Parliamentary debate is unique among the variety of formal forensic events for several reasons.  It is the only 3-on-3 event, and there is less emphasis on rigorous citation of evidence and more on the creativity and the argumentation and refutation skills of the participants.  Also, opponents may interrupt the speaker to ask “points of information”, which are designed to force the other side to make damaging admissions or to glean information that can be used advantageously in a later argument during the round.  Adding to the excitement, debaters are encouraged to show their appreciation for particularly strong arguments by their teammates by respectfully tapping the table-tops with their open hands and calling our, “Hear, hear!” during the speech.  Audience members may do likewise by tapping their feet on the floor.

Our students are excited about this opportunity, and if the event is successful, the coaches hope to expand the debate program to other area schools next year.

Watch this space for more details!

March 20, 2012

I’m heading over to Central School in Glencoe this afternoon to meet with the coaches of the three schools that are planning the debate tournament for later this spring.  Watch this space for an announcement of the date and location as soon as we’ve firmed up our plans.  Also, debaters should count on some extra practice time as we get down to the nitty-gritty of tournament debating.

Note that the schedule of regular meetings has changed slightly.  We’re able to stick more to our weekly Wednesday 3:30 to 5:30 pm schedule, because we don’t have any debaters who are involved with this year’s spring play–whew!

February 13, 2012

I’m pleased to announce the members of this year’s Debate Club:

• Everest Bradford (8th grade)
• Manny Haye (8th grade)
• Annie Herz (8th grade)
• Diana Lungu (8th grade)
• Carli Silverman (8th grade)
• Claire Snitovsky (8th grade)
• Tom Sorensen (8th grade)
• Frankie Valencia (8th grade)
• Louis Shaw (7th Grade)
• Joey Suizzo (7th grade)
• Cara Savin (6th Grade)
• Phillip Shaw (6th grade)

Great news! Central School (Glencoe) and Maple School (Northbrook) have joined with Marie Murphy to form an ad hoc debate league.  Over the next several weeks, all coaches will focus on teaching parliamentary debate and policy debate–two styles that differ significantly.  A parliamentary debate competition is being organized for mid-April, and we hope to end the year with a very exciting policy debate competition sometime in May.

The planning horizon for these events is very short, so come to our meetings prepared to dig in–and win!

Parents: We could use your help, too! Email me if you are able to send snacks for our meetings or you can provide support during the tournaments. katzr(at)avoca37.org

Jan 15, 2012

Welcome to the Marie Murphy Debate Club homepage. 2010-11 was our inaugural year, so this page will grow over time to include more information about the types of debate that we engage in, the techniques we are learning, our meeting and tournament schedules, and more.

Get the Tryout Packet here.

The Marie Murphy Debate Club is designed to provide interested students with the opportunity to find satisfaction and success in developing the ability to:

• think critically and analytically about important issues of the day;
• develop research and writing skills;
• work with teammates to develop argumentation and refutation skills; and
• speak persuasively on a variety of topics.

All interested 6th, 7th and 8th grade students are invited to submit applications and try out for membership by obtaining teacher recommendations and delivering a short persuasive speech on an assigned topic.

We might change a date or two due to other school activities, and we might add a date to take advantage of opportunities to visit with the New Trier High School Debate Team or “take the show on the road” and demonstrate competitive debate for other schools and groups. We’re even hoping to offer a demonstration for our fellow students at a school assembly before the end of the year.

Download a Tryout Packet here.