D75 Debates

Brooklyn’s Finest Debate Team from 368K, competed in the Harvard University High School Invitational Debate Tournament last week against their gen-ed peers from around the country and internationally. A very special thank you to their teacher, Ms. Newman and the NYC Urban Debate League.

Something like this…

Two time High School Champions Brooklyn’s Finest Debate Team from 368K is going to Harvard! Accompanied by their teacher Ms. Newman, they will be competing in the 2014 Harvard University High School Invitational Debate Tournament next weekend. The topic they will be debating: The United States should substantially increase economic engagement with Cuba, Mexico, and Venezuela. We wish them luck with their preparations and in the competition at Harvard. Show them what we’ve got, Brooklyn’s Finest!!

Check out the cover of this week’s Upfront magazine. It’s all about our current topic, minimum wage. Speaking of which, did you see President Obama’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday? He had a lot to say about minimum wage too!

This was the first week of Round 2, with the sides debating whether it is a good idea to raise the minimum wage.

Round 2 of debates starts next week. This time we’re talking about minimum wage. Which side are you on? Check the schedule tab above for the match-ups and tune in to support your team, or just see what the competition is all about. See you online!

Due to internet maintenance at 721 R, today’s debate is rescheduled for next Thursday, Dec 12.  We look forward to seeing 373 K vs 721 R one week from today!  There are only 3 debates left in round one, so if you haven’t tuned in yet, make sure to catch us before the new topic is announced. Good luck to all the debaters!

Tomorrow is the first day of round one! Is your team ready for the competition? Tune in at 9:30 for the coin toss or 10am to watch the live debate. The link is on the Debate Now tab above. Good luck to all the teams!

Great job on your mock debate today, P9! The teams from P 9 debated the topic “Cell phones should be allowed at P 9.”  The Pro team, aka the Thunderclappers, came away with the win, but the Con team did have some really good rebuttals. We look forward to seeing them debate in Round One!

Speaking of which….. Round one begins on November 13! Team match-ups are posted in the schedule tab above.

There will be one final drop-in session for teams that had technical difficulties in the initial sessions or that had to do updates on their computers. Stop by on November 8 from 9:00-10:30 to test your technology and make sure that your team is ready to debate!

Everyone did a great job with their technology drop-in sessions this week! We even got to meet some of the team members who were online with their teachers. Thank you to everyone who successfully completed their tech checks. What do you think of the new look of the debate room?

There are still some teams that need to do system updates and troubleshooting, so let us know how we can help to get you up and running in time for the debate season.

The new topic and calendar of dates is now available in the Schedule tab above. Team match-ups will be announced soon!

Hi everyone! Welcome back. The 2013-2014 Debate season is almost underway and everyone is very excited. Here are some announcements:

Make sure that your teacher registers for the workshop on Oct 2 at 751 M so that your team can participate.

Start thinking of a team name.

What are the topics that you would like to debate this year? Put your ideas in the comments section or email them to Cara.

Did you know that 368 K, Brooklyn’s Finest Debate Team, wrote a letter to Vice President Biden in the spring, and that they got a response? Yep, the Vice President of the United States of America wrote a letter to our debaters. Great job, Brooklyn’s Finest!

Did you also know that some of our debating peers from around the city actually got invited to speak at the White House? Check out The New York City Urban Debate League’s new website for opportunities to go really big with your debate team: www.nycudl.org

Speaking of new websites, Flocabulary also launched a brand new site- check it out here: www.flocabulary.com

We can’t wait to hear your ideas for topics and to meet the new teams. Check back soon for  more info and updates. Peace!

The 36 K Debaters of the Future on the left and the 811 M Verbal Vultures on the right

Brooklyn’s Finest Debate Team from 368 K and the 233 Q Metropolitics.  Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

In the High School Competition:

1st Place – 368 K @ BCC Brooklyn’s Finest Debate Team

2nd Place – The 233 Q Metropolitics

3rd Place – The 23 Q Voice is Power (V.I.P.) Debate Team

In the Middle School Competition:

1st Place – The 36 K Debaters of the Future

2nd Place – The 811 M Verbal Vultures

3rd Place – The 352 X Great Debaters

Honorable Mention – The 723 X Hawks

Congratulations to all of the 2013 D 75 Debate Champions!

Congratulations to new District 75 Debate Champions!  In the Middle School bracket, the 36 K Debaters of the Future took first place, and the 811 M Verbal Vultures came in with a close second.  In the High School competition, the 3 time championship team from 368 K @ BCC, Brooklyn’s Finest Debate Team held down their title, while the 233 Q Metropolitics took home the second place trophy. But the debates are not finished! The competition for 3rd place and honorable mention will take place next Tues and Weds, online. What an amazing season. Photos to come!

The results of the playoffs are in!

Please join us for the 2013 District 75 Debate Championships

Live and in-person at 751 M:

May 29 – Middle School Competition

The 36 K Debaters of the Future vs The 811 M Verbal Vultures

May 30 – High School Competition

Brooklyn’s Finest Debate Team from 368 K @ BCC vs The 233 Q Metropolitics

Championship Topic: Genetically modified foods cause more harm than good

And our 2 final online debates of the year, battling for 3rd place and honorable mention:

June 4: The 352 X Great Debaters vs The 723 X Hawks

June 5: The 23 Q Voice is Power (VIP) Debate Team vs The 371 K Unthinkables

And finally…… Congratulations to the Middle School Final Four!  They are:

The Verbal Vultures from 811 M

The Hawks from 723 X

The 352 X Great Debaters, and

The 36 K Debaters of the Future

Final Four debates take place tomorrow and Thursday. Winners move on to the Championships on May 29 (check out the flyer for the event below) and the non-winners will compete for 3rd place and honorable mention on June 4, online. Now that the Knicks are out of the NBA playoffs, which team has your pick for debate champs 2013? Only one way to find out… tune in to the action!

What do these two things have in common?  This year the D75 Debate playoffs are a lot like the nba brackets (go Knicks!). And just like we know some of the teams that will be in the nba finals but some series are still up in the air, here at D 75 debate, we are in the same situation.  The middle school teams are still in the middle of their playoffs on the violent video games topic, but we know who the high school teams will be.  Stay tuned for announcements next week and check back with the schedule tab above for updates.  For those that can’t make it to the debates in person, we will be broadcasting live from 751 M on May 29 and 30th for the middle and high school competitions.  The championships are right around the corner!