Two high school upperclassmen observe their lunch table, polarized in a heated debate over a trivial matter, and suddenly an idea starts forming.
Dawson Briner and Christian Martinez start a debate club in room 604. Students will be able to request topics, participate in breakout discussions, and defend their stance in front of the class. The club is open to all high school students looking to either improve their public speaking skills or just build community with their classmates.
Junior Christian Martinez hopes to grow closer with his fellow classmates while discussing important subjects.
“Our debate club isn’t just about arguing—it’s about learning to listen, think critically and form a greater community on campus,” Martinez said.
The club will be held Mondays at lunch with Bible teacher Brian Butler supervising the classroom. Students are encouraged to come with ideas in mind for potential topics that could be discussed. Martinez and Briner want to cover issues that resonate with the student body more than anything – not looking to shy away from serious problems found in our world today.
The debating format took inspiration from History teacher Kori James’ “hot topics”: discussions that split the classroom between two possible viewpoints. Students will convene together to talk about the rationale of their opinion, and to elect one or two representatives to argue their point with the other side.
Sailor Seibert, ‘26, expressed her enthusiasm for having a new community on campus that aids students in developing important abilities that can translate to the classroom and to the real world.
“I think that debate club is a great way for high school students to develop public speaking and critical thinking skills,” Seibert said.
The main goal of the club is to improve students’ confidence in their communication skills by being prompted to speak with peers who agree and disagree with them. Defending a stance also encourages students to conduct their own research and create an evidence-backed thesis.
Attend the next club meeting Monday, September 16 at lunch in room 604.
For more from The Feather read PROMO: FC hosts college fair or Athlete Spotlight: Sarah Guglielmana strives for excellence.
