2007-08-20
3rd Annual Philadelphia Debate Institute a Success
At most summer camps, kids break curfew to confess crushes and trade tall tales about the lives they've left at home. At the Philadelphia Debate Institute, they confess political leanings and trade perspectives on world trade.
"This was the best thing I did all summer!" explains sophomore Becky Ellmer, a rising sophomore at Franklin Towne Charter School in Philadelphia. Subee Jacob, a sophomore at Parkway Center City High School, could not agree more: "It is probably the most rigorous and fun experience of my life. I learned a lot, made tons of friends and I will definitely return to PDI debate camp next year."
The third annual session of the Philadelphia Debate Institute (PDI) convened at George School, in Newtown, Pennsylvania, from August 12-19, 2007. PDI offered instruction to high school debaters of all levels of skill and experience, hailing from 23 schools in 6 mid-Atlantic and New England states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Maryland, and Virginia.
All campers have at least one thing in common: they compete in a formal style of debate called Lincoln-Douglas, named for the series of seven debates on the institution of slavery contested by Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas during the 1858 Illinois Senate race.
The significance of these historic contests has not been forgotten, and the topics discussed in today's version are no less weighty. Students in Lincoln-Douglas debate value propositions in the form of "resolutions." Resolutions are released bi-monthly by the National Forensic League, an organization through which over 126,000 students participate in diverse forms of competitive speech and debate each year.
The September-October resolution is: Resolved: A just society ought not use the death penalty as a form of punishment. The resolution was announced on the fourth day of camp, at which time the campers began their work in earnest.
Between lectures on debating strategies and current world politics, students swarmed the library, parsing academic articles and interpreting complex philosophical arguments. Then, they began to craft arguments, some agreeing with the resolution, some contradicting it. A Lincoln-Douglas debater's goal is to be as comfortable arguing for the resolution as against it, since debaters must debate both sides at every tournament.
To the uninitiated, this may seem strange: teenagers, on summer break, sign up for early morning wake-ups, cafeteria-style dining, and days split between the lecture hall and the library. But they do sign up—and not just for PDI. Thousands of debaters attend summer debate camps around the country each year, in some cases paying—or asking their parents to pay—$2000 for instruction.
But thanks to a generous angel grant from Philadelphia philanthropist H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest and support from the Samuel Fels Fund, The Phoebe Haas Charitable Trust "A" as recommended by Carole Haas Gravagno, Philadelphia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, and many others, PDI offered a free summer experience to all Philadelphia public school students. Students from outside of Philadelphia paid only $400, a fraction of the price for other camps, and families in need received additional scholarships.
PDI is an annual camp run by Perspectives Debate Incorporated, a non-profit organization founded by Alexander McCobin and Lilly Deng. Alexander and Lilly are former debaters now attending the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard, respectively.
Perspectives works to improve the opportunities and skills of debaters in the mid-Atlantic region. Returning faculty member Allison Huberlie, a former debater who had won the prestigious Harvard Invitational as a high school student, notes that: "Debate is clearly one of the most beneficial activities one can engage in, but it is not often available to every student. This is unfortunate, and Perspectives is one of the most dedicated organizations I have ever seen whose mission is to rectify this problem. Because of Perspectives, many more students will have the opportunity to benefit from the education and critical thinking skills that debate fosters."
Debate camp is a rigorous academic experience, and some students like Andrew Pitts of PA Leaderships Academy say that "It is possibly the most mentally grueling experience I've been through."
Of course, the students also have plenty of fun. Junior Ellen Noble of Walt Whitman High School in Maryland notes: "PDI is an amazing experience. You become part of a close knit, diverse, and open-minded community of motivated and intellectually stimulating people. Every individual you meet has passion for learning, and ten minutes don't go by without you laughing."
Zakary Pyzik, a junior from Pocono Mountain West High School adds that "This was absolutely the greatest experience in all most my whole life. I had fun playing games, I learned from the best staff and coaching I ever had the opportunity to work with. Ultimately the friends I made here, and the stories we have, can never be taken away!"
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Directors
Alexander McCobin, Co-Founder, Perspectives Debate
Lilly Deng, Co-Founder, Perspectives Debate
Faculty
Conor Mayo-Wilson, B.A. Stanford, Ph.D. Carnegie Mellon University (in progress)
Mike Nicholas, B.A. La Salle University, J.D. College of William and Mary (in progress)
Matthew Scarola, Columbia University
Angela Zhu, New York University
Ryan Kelley, University of Pennsylvania
Brandon Klementzos, University of Pennsylvania
Juli Kelly, Seton Hall University
Allison Huberlie, University of Pennsylvania
Senior Fellows
Lindsay Dolan, The Hockaday School (Texas)
Stephanie Caravias, Ridge High School (New Jersey)
The 2007 Philadelphia Debate Institute Class
Graham Albachten (New Hope-Solesbury HS, PA)
Victoria Blazejewski (Franklin Towne Charter School, PA)
Evan Burt (Cab Calloway School for the Arts, DE)
Nixxi Chen (Bronx Science HS, NY)
Rebecca Ellmer (Franklin Towne Charter School, PA)
Adam Freeman (Union Catholic HS, NJ)
Karlyn Gorski (Perkiomen Valley HS, PA)
Krishna Hegde (Fox Chapel HS, PA)
Avery Heywood (Constitution HS, PA)
Subee Jacob (Parkway Center City HS, PA)
Hakeem Jefferson (Mathematics, Civics, and Sciences Charter School, PA)
Stephanie Kan (Merion Mercy Academy, PA)
Alex Koren (PA Leadership Academy, PA)
Krishma Kumar (Perkiomen Valley HS, PA)
Marina Kushnirsky (Bronx Science HS, NY)
Jennifer Lin (York HS, VA)
Yong Lin Lee (Franklin Towne Charter School, PA)
Joseph Morris (Albany HS, NY)
Douglas McDonald (Harriton HS, PA)
Anthony Murphy (Holy Ghost Preparatory, PA)
Chris Nardeo (Perkiomen Valley HS, PA)
Ellen Noble (Walt Whitman HS, MD)
Harris Perlman (Princeton HS, NJ)
Andrew Pitts (PA Leadership Academy, PA)
Zakary Pyzik (Pocono Mountain West HS, PA)
Lydia Reyle (PA Leadership Academy, PA)
Rubin Rhodes (Parkway Center City HS, PA)
Raquel Richardson (Ben Franklin HS, PA)
Ryan Rudolph (Parkway Center City HS, PA)
Richard Scordato (Walt Whitman HS, MD)
Collin Smith (New Hope-Solesbury HS, PA)
Rothanack Soy (Parkway Center City HS, PA)
Shanise Williams (Parkway Northwest HS, PA)
Katherine Zuk (Archbishop Ryan HS, PA)
Nasha Ward (Paul Robeson HS, PA)
Stephanie Zhang (Unionville HS, PA)
Perspectives is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization promoting youth debate education. Students who debate dramatically increase their reading comprehension, critical thinking, and public speaking skills. In the process, debate becomes a forum to foster youth achievement and civic responsibility. Perspectives has worked with over 400 students in 8 states through afterschool, summer, and special events. www.philadebate.org