This fall, Park added a debate club to its list of extracurricular activities available for students. The debate club typically meets once a week on Wednesdays, preparing for their six tournaments this season.
Club advisor Talia Williams said many students expressed their desire to join the debate club, and many people who participated at the middle school level wanted to continue in debate. According to Williams, Park’s administration supported the idea, and then she started planning for the club.
“Debate club started because I had been hearing from folks that they would be interested in joining a debate team because we have one at the middle school, but we (don’t have) one at the high school,” Williams said. “I heard from a lot of students saying that they were interested, then I heard from (Park’s school administration) saying they wanted a debate team as well. They found out that I had debate experience and roped me in.”
Freshman Iqra Mohammed said the debate club is useful for students because it teaches them new and helpful skills. According to her, student members gain expertise that is important for college preparation.
“This club is beneficial for students at Park because it (will help prepare for) college and can help students learn things like speaking, taking notes and a lot of other things that can help a school,” Mohammed said. “(Debate club has also taught me) how to communicate with other people better.”
According to sophomore Stella Hangebrauck, she joined the debate club because she was intrigued and wanted to learn how to debate. Hangebrauck said another reason she became a club member was to try something new and participate in a different club.
“I joined debate for a good extracurricular, and I wanted to join a club this year. (I was) also interested. I wanted to learn more,” Hangebrauck said.
Mohammed said one of the best parts of debate is visiting other schools for competition. According to her, another aspect she likes about the club is spending time with peers and getting to know their personalities.
“My favorite part of debate is going to different schools, doing tournaments there and also having time to spend with my friends,” Mohammed said. “(I enjoy) not only just bonding with them, but also learning more about their character and their work ethics.”
According to Hangebrauck, she hopes to improve her confidence with public speaking through debate club. She said she’s learned more about what debate is and how it works.
“I’m trying to get better at researching and (being) more comfortable giving speeches. I’ve learned (more about) the structures of debate and how it (generally) works,” Hangebrauck said.
According to Williams, her wish for the team this year is to get Park introduced into the debate world and make sure everyone is having a good time. The club had its first tournament on Sept. 27, and Williams said she was proud of the team’s progress so far and the group had a good time.
“It’s our first year, (so trying to) figure out what debate is, get our foot in the door, get Park back in the debate circuit and have a lot of fun and do a lot of learning (are my goals for the club),” Williams said. “We had our first tournament on Saturday, and it was fun to get to see them all. I was really proud of all the learning that they did.”
