Blackfoot High debate has been having a successful season, led by teacher Mr. Jordan Reynolds.
Reynolds said students should join the debate team “Because debate’s cool.” He expanded by stating that joining debate would help students advocate for themselves along with viewing things from another perspective saying it is “the most important lesson anyone can learn” With debate experience, you would understand the mindset of your opponents, this is because you have to write both pros and cons for your case.
Reynolds “There are 5 ish debate events. You can argue philosophy. You can argue about current events. You can argue about policies in the policy argumentation. You can learn how Congress makes policies, and then there’s Congress that teaches you how to argue in Congress and Congress does their own thing Overall, there are endless things that you can do in debate.
When students what’s the funnest part Wyatt Wadsworth (10) without missing a beat says “Arguing.”
Matylyne Andersen (9) goes more in-depth saying it is the most fun when you are researching your topics and arguing with those you are working with trying to figure out what to write about.
Makynlee Bishop (9) stated, that to her, it is more about learning the different topics and being able to defend your case.
Samuel Wray (10) explained connecting with people from different areas and understanding them is also enjoyable.
One out of two things all the students agree on is their favorite debate trip. In unison, it was declared that the Boise tournament was most amusing. This is because it allowed shopping trips and pit stops to get snacks or souvenirs.
The separate topic agreed upon was their go-to formatting. This includes LD, PF, and more. With the students, it seemed that they all advocated for PF.
Still, everything has its downsides. So what’s the least favored thing of debate? Well, according to students it would seem to be writing the cases.
Michael Sparks (10) noted that having bad judges took the cake.
Reynolds had two answers, saying that due to the tournaments he needs to attend, he spends all weekends apart from his wife, stating that “any time away from her sucks.” This answer gained many awes from inside the room. Reynolds stated how great his students are by how much he spends with them only to have judges not see it too.
