High school students competing in the Boston Debate League brought their compelling arguments to Suffolk University, which hosted the Champ Division City Championships on March 11 and 12.
“We have had a long-standing relationship with the university that extends back to the early days of our league and has continued throughout the years, and we were glad to be back again,” said Roger Nix, program manager for the After-School Debate League.
The Boston Debate League encourages Boston Public Schools students to become involved in competitive academic debate, which “offers a powerful means of engaging students in their own education.”
"These young men and women represent the best and brightest in the Boston Public School system, so it is a great opportunity for us to work with such talented students,” said Frank Irizarry, who teaches in Suffolk's Communication & Journalism Department, which has hosted the championships for many years.
Results
- Two of Boston Latin Academy's debate teams tied for first place and will proceed to the National Urban Debate League competition April 14 through 17 in San Francisco.
- A Charlestown High School team and two Boston Latin Academy teams will go to Salt Lake City for the National Speech and Debate Association Nationals on June 12 through 17.
- Excel High School tied with a Boston Latin Academy team for third place.
Communication & Journalism Chair Robert Rosenthal and Frank and Cindy Irizarry of the department’s faculty “gave the students some great insight into how debate has helped develop their careers in a variety of ways over the years and how useful debating skills can be,” said Nix.
Lynne Reznick, Boston Debate League interim executive director and director of the After-School Debate League summed up the event by saying: “We are excited for this new opportunity to partner more closely with Suffolk, and the amazing success of the City Championship tournament is a great start to a fruitful collaboration in the future.”