The Bayport-Blue Point High School Debate Club is off to a great start this school year. Co-presidents Liam D. and Vaughan W., along with the rest of the officers and club members, decided to shift gears for the current year.
The Debate Club had employed the Lincoln-Douglas debate style at Long Island Forensic Association, a demanding and rigorous one-on-one style, but has since adopted the Public Forum debate style. The Public Forum style is two-versus-two, and the elements of the debate structure are different with the timing of speeches and questioning and lack of a morality component. The Debate Club felt that the partnerships could provide greater experience in preparation for Lincoln-Douglas style in later years.
Under the guidance of Debate Club members who have attended prior debates with LIFA, the newest members to the club have been working towards this year’s events. Co-presidents Liam and Vaughan, Logan C. and Yuvraj T. are club veteran debaters. The club welcomes Avery C., Sophia M. and George R. IV who have gained valuable insights in preparation for the November and December rounds of the LIFA schedule.
The Debate Club has met weekly and had also a collaborative meeting with the Sayville Debate Team to prepare for November’s debate. The members also worked independently on developing their arguments on the proposition “Resolved: The United States’ Strategy of Great Power Competition produces more benefits than harms.”
The district’s teams for the November LIFA debate competition were George R. IV and Yuvraj T. and Avery C. and Sophia M. The team’s opponents were primarily from Chaminade, Half Hollow Hills East, Syosset, Port Washington and Jericho. Vaughan W. attended the November debate as a judge. This position will offer him insights for our next debate this month.
The Bayport-Blue Point School District extends best wishes for success in future debates.