With the debate season soon coming to an end, the team is also approaching an exciting time of tournaments. Ms. Robyn Madson, Debate coach and teacher, said, “…the section tournament is this weekend and the state tournament is the next weekend.”

The debate team has had an extraordinary amount of success in the season.

For instance, RAHS Freshmen August Peden and Ashton House “took 2nd place at the Rosebowl tournament in Novice Policy,” said Ms. Madson. The Policy debate is an argument between two teams made of two people on each side. Ms. Madson said, “…this year, we debated economic inequality”. In Novice, the debaters are new to the team, but Peden and House both did an incredible job.

Ms. Madson said, “Alexis Peralta Peña broke to elimination rounds in Lincon-Douglas debate at JV Novice State and placed 23rd in the state.” The Lincoln-Douglas debate is when one debater goes head-to-head with another debater. They will argue based on ethics and on an analytical level.

“Aryana Berhane and Keebor Kassa took 3rd place in Novice Policy at the City Championships. Keebor was the 5th best speaker at the tournament,” said Ms. Madson.

“Matthias Stiehl took 6th place in JV Policy at the City Championships,” said Ms. Madson.

“…the season is over for most of the team. We are practicing when we can for sections,” said Ms. Madson.

With the big tournaments approaching, the team has ambitious goals for the next season. Ms. Madson said, “Next season, I’d like to see us be a more cohesive team and build on our successes…I’d like to see our team grow in number next year, and I’m excited to see how our returning debaters bring in and encourage new teammates.”

Ms. Madson also shares the importance of debate and its impact on students. She said, “Debaters have to develop strong listening skills, creative, critical thinking skills, and analytical reading and research skills. We help students overcome the anxiety of speaking in front of others and teach them how to advocate for their points of view clearly and successfully. Studies show that students who debate score higher on reading tests and are more likely to graduate high school and succeed in college when compared to their peers.”