The Speech and Debate Club is roaring through the halls at Colonia High School once again, after a dry year of participation during the 2017-2018 school year.

Lack of participation puts an end to the club

The debate club at Colonia High School was a famous club ever since it was founded by students who were interested in debating, and their history teacher, Mr. Williams. The club had many members in it for about three years, including students from all grade levels. However, as the seniors graduated each year, fewer and fewer students participated in the club. Due to a miniscule amount of people showing up to the meetings, the club was officially closed during the 2017-2018 school year.

Bringing the club back

As the 2018-2019 school year started, student Atif Warraich met with the respected advisor, Mr. Williams, and requested bringing the club back. That would, of course, be based on if enough students take part in the club. Mr. Williams agreed to give the club another chance and decided to host the first meeting in over a year.

A great turnout

Fortunately, many students showed up and showed their interest in debating. Ever since, the team meets regularly every two weeks after school. They have already held two practice debate sessions during their meetings, and are committed to practicing and working hard to compete for an upcoming competition in April or May.

During the debates, the students split up into two teams and converse on the given topic. For example, the first debate was about the border wall situation at America’s southern border. The students were split into two teams and were allowed to practice their debates at home, ahead of time. During the meeting, they debated in a well manner, and the back and forth discussion lasted about 30-40 minutes.

The second debate was about whether churches have the right to be tax exempt. Once again, students were split up into two teams by Mr. Williams and were given their side beforehand. They were allowed to research at home and prepare themselves for the debate. This debate also went very well. During March, the members will debate in the “Public Forum” format, which is one of the two forms which are used at debate competitions.

A Hopeful Future

Overall, it is safe to say that the club is back at Colonia High School. During the next school year, the students are planning to go to some big competitions in the state. Also, the students are confident that they will get more students to join the club once the next school year starts.