We are excited to announce that OSM will continue its tradition of offering debate as an
extracurricular activity. As part of the Illinois Middle School Debate League, OSM has
had an extremely successful debate program since inception, and we expect to continue the winning tradition this year! OSM routinely finishes at the top of the league in both medals and speaker awards.

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Christian Kline is our new dedicated debate coach and Cameron Carpenter, a new 5th grade teacher, is the OSM staff sponsor for the debate program. Two parent sponsors will be providing support for the program throughout the year.

Who can participate?

Debate is open to all students in grades 5th – 8th.
 

Why should my student debate?

Debate sharpens a student’s ability to research and analyze problems, think and listen critically, express thoughts clearly and fluently, and better understand public affairs. The skills learned in debate supplement classroom learning and are applicable to all aspects of education.

Practices and Tournaments 

Practices will be at OSM on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30pm – 5:00pm beginning Tuesday, September 1st. Debate runs from September through March. There are five tournaments throughout the school year, plus a state championship (invitation only) at the end of March. Some of the debates are in person and some are virtual. There will be
plenty of support from coaches, volunteers, and current debaters whether tournaments
are virtual or in person.

Topic 

The topic this year is, “Resolved: The United States Federal Government Should Substantially Increase its Security Cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 30 Emerging Technologies.” The debaters will present plans regarding AI, Biotechnology, and Cybersecurity.

 

Debaters will learn to argue both the affirmative and negative for each plan. In past years, the students have debated Water Resources, Criminal Justice Reform, International Arm Sales, and Immigration.

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Tournament Information 

T1 October 22nd @Sacred Heart

T2 December 10th via zoom

T3 January 21st @Avery Coonley

T4 February 11th via zoom

T5 March 4th TBD

State Championship March 18th or March 25th TBD

 

Please welcome Christian Kline as the new dedicated coach for the debate program. Mr. Christian Kline previously came to speak to our novices. Christian has been involved in debate for decades, and in this video, you will see him giving a broad overview of debate to our novices. Feel free to watch and gain a better understanding of what our Knights are doing as part of debate here at OSM.

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Click here to view video.

For More Information 

Please feel free to contact:
Christian Kline (christianlk@hotmail.com),

Nandita Manglavil (ndasmangs@gmail.com),

Emma Wright (emma60608@yahoo.com).

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Click here for the Student Created flyer.