by Shelby Jurca
Staff Writer
On Jan. 7-8, Coppell High School hosted a speech and debate tournament in which 30 schools from around the area came and argued a variety of topics.
As members of the host school, CHS debate members swapped competing in the tournament to facilitate it.
“It went very well. The kids did very well. Ms. [Maleda] Kunkle and me could’ve walked out and they would’ve been able to handled it, no problem,” debate teacher Glenda Ferguson said. “It was on-the-spot training, upperclassmen were running tables and underclassmen were runners.”
Though CHS students did not compete at this competition, they will participate in a competition on Friday and Saturday at Plano East. Some of the stars of the debate team are going to this competition to make Coppell proud.
- Priyanka Krishnamurthy-Senior
What do you like about debate? “The competitive aspect of it, the people I meet, the ability to act as decision makers and imagine a world where policies that would never be passed in reality, are passed; the educational benefits.”
What are some memorable topics you’ve debated? “Increasing social services to persons living in poverty, reducing military presence in Japan, South Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and Turkey.”
- Anthony Brown-Senior
What do you like about debate? “I like that debate is a challenging activity that entertains me while teaching me so much. Specifically to our squad, I like the family-like bond we have that makes tournaments and long trips so fun.
How was hosting this past weekend’s competition? “Hosting the tournament was stressful but very successful, it took a lot of work from everyone helping out but everything ran pretty smoothly and we had a lot of support and help from the staff and parents which we appreciate very much.”
What’s the most awkward thing that’s ever happened to you during a debate? “Well, at Creekview my junior year, an argument over teacher merit pay turned into a debate over whether people would buy exploding Tickle Me Elmo’s….it was weird.”
- Sarah Mithani-Senior
What do you like about debate? “I like the challenge of it, I like getting to meet new people, I like learning about politics and philosophy, and overall I love being to discuss my views on any given situation.”
What are you looking forward to about this weekend’s competition? “I’m looking forward to getting the last two points me and my partner need to qualify for State.”
How did you get involved in debate? “I heard about debate at the election fair before freshman year and I have been interested in since middle school. I joined it, and I’ve stayed in it ever since.”
- John Pankonien-Senior
What do you like about debate? “To put it simply I find debate a very intellectually stimulating. The topics are current important issues that are interesting to research. I’ve probably learned more in debate about current events than I have in any other class.”
What’s the most awkward thing that’s ever happened to you in a debate? “The most awkward thing that’s happened that I can think of was the time my partner and I, both who were seasoned three year debating, ended up facing two 13 year old freshmen. It was a slaughter debate wise.”
