Students in the St. Vrain Valley School District were recently named champions in a Colorado debate tournament, and two students have qualified for a national tournament.
The Colorado High School Activities Association hosted its first Speech and Debate Tournament in late February, and students from Longmont, Silver Creek and Mead high schools were named champions.
Silver Creek High School students Dillon Rankin and Kaitlin Ruth won state champion awards in the Lincoln Douglas and Value debates, respectively. Wren Pritchett, from Mead High School, was named a champion in A-Extemp speech.
Greta Wedel and Ben Howard, from Longmont High School, were named co-champions in the Lincoln Douglas Debate.
Jim Dornan, debate coach and longtime teacher at Longmont High School, said he’s “unbelievably proud” of this year’s student champions.
“We not only had one, but two state champions, so it’s pretty incredible — the two of them finished first place together,” Dornan said. “It’s just incredible to hear the ideas that they’re throwing out. It challenges them and raises the bar high for them, to increase their reading levels.”
In argumentation modeled after the Abraham Lincoln-Stephen Douglas debates, Wedel and Howard used their skills to discuss the topic presented: whether it’s beneficial to have open border immigration.
“They have to argue both sides during the tournament, so it’s a great activity because it makes them learn multiple perspectives,” Dornan explained. “You have to figure out who’s your audience and you have to figure out the best way to persuade the judges to believe in your side of the argumentation.”
St. Vrain students also competed in the Rocky Mountain-North District Qualifier for speech and debate in Boulder on March 11. Wedel and another Lincoln High School student, Luke Riddle, qualified for the 2023 National Speech and Debate Tournament in Phoenix in June.
Dornan coached a dozen students this year, and worked with them to boost their critical thinking, research, public speaking and note-taking skills.
“This is setting these students up for skills that are just unbelievable — it’s going to help them in whatever career they choose to do,” Dornan said. “It’s a great thing for kids to get involved in.”
Once students’ debate talent is fine-tuned, they are often bewildered by the debate styles that occur between politicians on national television, Dornan said.
“They don’t really debate each other, they just talk,” he explained. “It’s like two ships passing in the night.”
