Those familiar with the Furies recognize the sound of the debate team room, full of cries of the motto ‘Carsonio Delenda Est’ or Carson must be destroyed.
“The Rachel Carson debaters have haunted the team’s nightmares for too long,” said debate team member Aaron W. “They are a formidable opponent, but I know our team will succeed.”
Aaron shares a common attitude among LMS debate team members; unseating Rachel Carson is a driving force for many; however, the opposite isn’t necessarily true.
Comments from the Rachel Carson team ranged from, “It seems like LMS cares a bit more about this thing,” to “I have literally never heard of this rivalry until now.”
At the end of the day, everyone agreed that both teams, Longfellow and Rachael Carson, were very good debaters.
While winning a debate is always the goal, students like Megan Z.’s main motivation is to foster discussion on major issues.
“I chose to join the debate team for the wish to step up my confidence and find my voice in the public speaking world. There are so many pressing issues to be discussed in this world. I can’t stay silent in a world that demands change. I can’t be passive and complicit, like so many, due to a fear of speaking,” said Megan.
Formal debate is a way to organize a conversation to allow students to explore both sides of an issue and learn how to speak about the issues using references and avoiding emotionally charged arguments.
To begin, each team has three members called 1st, 2nd, and 3rd speakers. A debate has two teams that argue on either side of the topic: proposition and opposition. Each team’s position is assigned randomly at the start of the debate, so they need to be prepared to argue both sides.
An example of a past topic is: ‘Facebook is a monopoly and should be broken up.’ At the event, one team would be assigned to argue the proposition (the idea as stated), and the other would be assigned the opposition (Facebook is not a monopoly and should not be broken up.)
Each team earns points based on the strength of their arguments and adherence to the rules of debate. In a tournament, points are tallied for each debate for each team, determining the top teams and top speakers.
Debate isn’t the only place which has festered competition between these two schools. Model United Nations (MUN) has also had its fair share of drama. While this year, LMS finished on top, both schools have given each other a run for their money in the process.
“Carson has been one of our greatest adversaries in the competing MUN season. While the season has only recently closed with a Longfellow victory, we do acknowledge the healthy competition, debate, and diplomatic friendships formed along the way with our fellow delegates from Rachel Carson,” said Megan, who is a member of both MUN and debate.
Megan’s statement also sums up the relationship between the two schools when it comes to debate.
