Andrew S.
Family Foundation School debaters finished the season strong, taking first place at the Iroquois District Tournament in Oneonta, N.Y. on March 13-14.
Four teams were entered in Public Forum Debate: Nat L. and Sam B., Philip D. and Andrew A., Matt W. and Sophie W., and Dan C. and Andrew S. Public Forum is a form of debate in which teams of two debate on a topic that is announced at the beginning of the month. These teams put up a good fight but could not keep up with the competition.
The other form of debate that students participated in was Lincoln-Douglas, a one-on-one debate where students are left to fend for themselves against one another. Mike D. was the only FFS student to participate in this event.
There were two forms of Extemporaneous, an event in which students give a speech on a topic with only a half hour of preparation time.
Vic C., Andrew A., and Matt W. were entered in United States Extemporaneous (USEX). Vic took first place and Andrew took second which earned their spots in the national tournament.
All participants in USEX made it to the final round. Sophie W., Aneeb A., Sean M., and Mike D. were entered in Foreign Extemporaneous (FEX). Sophie took first and Aneeb took second which earned them spots in the National tournament as well.
Two teams were entered in Duo: Paul P. and Philip D., and Vic C. and Andrew S. In Duo students pick a piece of published literature, such as a book, play, or poem, and perform an interpretation of the selection. Neither of the two teams placed.
Sean M. and Paul P. were entered in Original Oratory. Original Oratory is where a student writes and recites his own speech in front of a judge on a topic of his or her choosing. Both Sean and Paul did well, but neither placed.
Jason M. and Ethan M. were entered in Dramatic Interpretation. Neither of them placed, but they enjoyed getting a chance to show off their creative sides by presenting their pieces.
Jason M. and Andrew E. were entered in Humorous Interpretation. This form of interpretation involves the student reading a published piece that is supposed to be funny and generate laughter from the judges.
A number of students on the team were given the opportunity to participate in mock congress which earned the team a lot of points.
FFS racked up enough points to tie for first place and win the respect of the other teams present at the tournament. This was an amazing feat for the debate team who had a rocky season behind them and much fewer participants in the tournament than a number of other schools.
