And what an opener it was! The 373K Fire Debaters brought the heat (naturally!) for the con side, but in the end it was the 226M Pride that won over the judges with their arguments for DC statehood. We saw a few of the other high school teams logged in to check out the competition, so we expect the momentum to continue. The Final Four is within reach and the 2019 trophies have just arrived. Keep up the great work, teams!
Archive | News
Video Reflections
As we ease (dance? run? skip?) into Round 3, we are reminded of a quote by former president Teddy Roosevelt: “The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.” In this case, the past is Round 2 and the future is Round 3 of our debate competition! Check out this fun video reflection from the MSCD Debaters from 751M as they ponder their past performances and look to the future!
As We Proceed
Round 2 wrapped this morning with another very close debate between the 176’ers from the Bronx and Queens’ own 177Q All Stars on the topic of metal detectors in schools. Since Debate waits for no one, the new topic was just announced. It is: Washington, D.C. should be a state.
Round 3 begins the week of March 18. The new schedule and match-ups will be posted soon. Enjoy your vacation, everyone!
National Speech and Debate Education Day
March 1 is National Speech and Debate Education Day. This is a great opportunity to plan something special at your school to raise awareness about speech and debate. Think about a speech competition or a non-competitive event where kids can show off their skills for an audience.
There are tons of resources online for finding famous speeches. It might also be a nice way to wrap up Black History/ Black Futures month or set off Women’s History month. If there is enough interest, we will open up the online debate room for students to share.
Round Two Underway
The Round Two Topic has been announced, and the match-ups are now posted in the schedule tab above. This time we are debating whether or not all schools should have metal detectors. As always, there are pros and cons to both sides, and the teams are just warming up. Let’s go!
Ready… Set… Debate!
Round One Wrap.. Stay tuned for the next one!
Thank you to all of the teams, coaches, and supporters for setting the debate season off correctly! Round two is on the way, beginning the week of January 28… Stay tuned for details and match-ups to be posted after the winter break. Happy Holidays to debaters everywhere!
Yankees have Nothing on these Guys!
The 17X Warriors debate team knows how to pull in a crowd! They had twenty supporters rooting for their team during the first round of debate.
17X Warriors Supporters
Round One is Underway
Great job and a big thank you to the 176’ers from the Bronx and the Rat Pack from 993Q for getting the season off on the right foot. The teams brought some really original and insightful arguments to the table this morning, and we can’t wait to hear what the rest of the teams will do. The momentum is building… here we go!
You have the right to… learn how your government works
Is learning civics your constitutional right? Aleita Cook, 17, thinks it is and she is taking her case to the Supreme Court. Read more about it in this article from the New York Times.
Ready… Set… Debate!
Round One preparations have begun. The new topic and team match-ups are now posted in the schedule tab above.
Let the games begin!
Art Debate
Did anyone else see the Banksy painting self-destruct in a built-in shredder just moments after it was sold for over a million dollars? Should the buyer of the painting still pay for it? Is the painting actually worth more now? There’s a lot to debate! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
Debate Season 2018-19 is Here!
The teams are forming, the technology is being checked and the first topic will be announced next week. Welcome back, Debaters!
Middle School Match-ups
Competing in the Middle School Championships this year on May 30 will be: The 226 Debate Crew vs 352X BxDebatesAllDay. Congratulations to both teams for advancing to the finals!
Competing in the 3rd Pl/ Honorable Mention debate on June 4 will be the 25R Panthers vs the 169M Rising Stars. We can’t wait to see how it plays out.
Battle of the Boroughs
The High School Finals are set! Debating in the Championship match this year will be The 721M Cityhawks Revolutionaries (undefeated) against The 751 MSCD Eagles. This will be a battle of Manhattan for the title!
Debating for the 3rd Place and Honorable Mention awards this year will be The 373K Fire Debaters versus 368K Brooklyn’s Finest Debate Team, a battle of Brooklyn. Congratulations to all four teams (and the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan) for an incredible regular season and playoffs, and good luck in your final debate!
High School Playofs
We almost forgot to publicly congratulate all of the High School teams that made it to this year’s playoffs! They are:
The 721M Cityhawks Revolutionaries
368K Brooklyn’s Finest Debate Team
The 373K Fire Debaters
The 993Q Rat Pack
The 751M MSCD Eagles
Championship Topic Announced
The topic for this year’s Championship Debates is: The Second Amendment Should be Repealed.
The top two teams in each bracket (winners of the playoff matches) will debate this topic on May 30 and 31 at 751M. The teams that do not do not go on to the finals will debate online on June 4 and 5 for 3rd Place and Honorable Mention titles.
Let the research begin!
Middle School Playoffs
Congratulations to this year’s Middle School Final Four teams! They are:
The 25R Panthers
The 169M Rising Scholars
The 226M Debate Crew
352X Bx Debates All Day
Stay tuned for the High School announcement and team match-ups, coming soon.
Who Calls the Coin Toss?
Round 3 is well underway this week with teams presenting convincing arguments on both sides of the single use plastics debate. One question that has come up is how the moderator determines which team was “logged in first” to call the coin toss. For the record, when the moderator signs on at 9am, they will prompt you to start the tech check. The first team to activate their video feed for the tech check gets to call the coin toss (heads or tails). The winner of the toss then gets to decide which side they choose for the debate- Pro or Con.
Plastic Roads?
Here is an interesting video from the BBC about a start-up company that is using plastic to make roads: Can plastic roads help save the planet?
World’s First Plastic-free Supermarket Aisle
Can one aisle lead to a more sustainable future? Check out this video from CNN to learn more.
