RI's Top Urban HS Debaters Heading to National Championships
Kurt Ostrow, Special Contributor
RI's Top Urban HS Debaters Heading to National Championships
Two teams of two -- Genesis Sanchez (Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex) and Grace Cole (LaSalle Academy), and Janet Novack (Classical) and Brendon Morris (Davies Career-Tech) earned the spots after a six-round qualifying tournament hosted by the Rhode Island Urban Debate League on April 6th.
Sanchez, Cole, Novack, and Morris will now do battle with the best debaters from 18 other urban debate leagues from around the country.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTMapping the Battle
RIUDL Executive Director Ashley Belanger says, “We are well on our way to replicating this success here in RI, and these four students are part of the proof.”
The debaters representing Rhode Island spent hundreds of hours during the debate season researching whether Washington should substantially increase its transportation infrastructure investment. At the UDNC, when debating in the affirmative, the two RI teams will argue that the government should overhaul interstate highways with piezoelectric (“pressure”) technology in order to harness sustainable traffic energy. This, they say, will reduce our reliance on dirty coal and power homes in poor communities of color historically oppressed by highways.
And they’ve spent hours honing their skills. Brendon, for example, has followed this daily regimen of speaking exercises, which help with diction and speed: “I read 2 minutes forward as fast as I can, then 2 minutes backwards, then 2 minutes forward with a, e, or i in between each word, then again backwards.” His mom, who often comes to watch rounds, confirms, “He really does, honest to God.”
Diane Schulze, a first-year at Brown University who debated policy in high school and now coaches at Classical, says, “These students understand political and philosophical issues at or above the college level. They are able to talk confidently with experts in the fields they’re researching, which is an opportunity I think only debate can afford.” To support the students, Schulze will travel to D.C. with Belanger; Virginia DiMattia, a teacher and coach at Davies; and program coordinator Kurt Ostrow, a senior at Brown.
D.C., Here They Come
Grace, headed to the UDNC for her second consecutive year, says she likes the event because it’s equal parts event and tournament: “The first two days show us how debate connects in the real world. Some of the people we’re quoting [in our evidence] are there. And then the next two days, you debate some of the best people in the country.”
Janet not only plans to “be number 1” at the UDNC, but also to leave her mark on the city with Genesis, her best friend: “Genesis and I are going to tear up D.C. By the end, all the Senators are going to know our names.”
At least two will. Belanger has arranged for the debaters and coaches to have an audience with Rhode Island Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed. The debaters will also hear from Marian Wright Edelman, the Founder and President of the Children’s Defense Fund, at a dinner hosted to celebrate all of the students’ success.
The RIUDL—an independent nonprofit that works closely with Brown University and thirteen high schools—now engages over 150 students in policy debate programs from the state’s urban core cities. This year, the League broadened its reach by facilitating several debates in the community, including one with Leadership Rhode Island about the new NECAP graduation requirement. This is in line with Genesis’ philosophy. When she gets on a soapbox during class, kids tell her, “Genesis, this is not debate!” But she always fires back, “Everything is debate!”
To learn more about the League—including details about how to get involved as a debater, judge, or sponsor in The Community Debate, an annual fundraiser to take place April 27—visit our website www.riudl.org.
Genesis Sanchez is pictured at the podium on the GoLocalProv homepage.