March, 1997 Central Community Debates Issue of Ebonics
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Central's Team of Rookie Sophists
Emerge as Force in State Competition
By Nicole Belasco
After the debate team's extraordinary first place victory at a recent tournament in Ridgefield, morale was very high. In just their third meet, Central's first team in over a decade topped a field of squads, representing schools from across Connecticut.
Sophomore Len Taing said, "The best part about debating is keeping your mind sharp. Every debate has a life of its own. It's very exciting."
Mr. Dave Messina, the debate team's leader, is very happy with the team's performance. "Overall, Central proudly fielded seven teams in both the varsity and novice ranks and have clearly proven themselves to be worthy competition for the state's best schools," said Messina.
In Ridgefield, Len Taing and Ali Jaffrey went 3-0 to win the first place team trophy besting a field of Connecticut's top 25 teams. The team of Jake Lam and Scott Taing received an honorable mention. Other outstanding pairs included Alexia Clarke and Renee Kelly, as well as Rakia Hicks and Ivan Campos.
A previous tournament, which took place in December at the Hamden Hall Country Day Academy, had also yielded impressive results. Alexia Clarke and her partner Renee Kelly went undefeated at 3-0, topping teams from Hopkins, Chote, Darien, Fairfield, West Hill, Trumbull, Litchfield, and Greenwich to earn the tournament's second place team award honors. Jake Lam and Scott Taing also scored well with a 2-1 mark, while Ali Jaffrey led Central with a total of 79 individual speaker points.
What's the competition all about? "It's about being able to voice an educated and thoughtful opinion, not arguing but debating in an intelligent, adult way," said Alexia Clarke.
Teams compete in extemporaneous debate about current issues such as the sexual harassment charges against President Clinton, or teen curfews. This type of debate is spontaneous; there is no preparation. The debaters use their own background knowledge in their argument, so they have to be well-read. "The students come to the competition prepared with magazines and newspapers," Messina explained. "They don't know what to expect." The students ultimately take stands both for and against the topics, so that they get a chance to argue both sides.
After three rounds of debate, awards are given to the five best teams and the five best individual speakers. However, Messina adds, "Whether they win or lose, the confidence and self esteem they receive makes them a winner. It makes them feel good about themselves and it helps them speak up."
Nar Taing agrees. "When I talk in front of a group it gives me confidence. It helps improve your speech and builds your self-esteem," he said.
Another benefit of the debate tournaments is that it gains respect for Central's team and for the school. Renee Kelly said, "It feels good to compete with kids [from other towns] and show them that we're good competition." Senior Scott Taing said, "The best part of the debate, besides the obvious advantages like gaining self-esteem, is the camaraderie, as well as an opportunity to prove that we are not second-class intellects."
