The Monmouth University Debate Team coached the Asbury Park High School Debate Team to a second place team award at a debate tournament held at the Bronx Collaborative High School on Saturday, Feb. 21.
Members of the MU Debate Team conduct debate workshops every Monday after school throughout the year in preparation for debate tournaments sponsored by the Urban Debate League. Eight Asbury teams of two students competed at the tournament this weekend. Three of the eight teams received an award for posting a winning record at the tournament and three Asbury debaters received individual speaking awards.
The Asbury Park High School Debate Team was launched five years ago, made possible by an annual grant from the TD Bank Foundation and another grant from Santander Bank that were secured by the MU Debate Team and the Institute for Global Understanding respectively.
The students debated from both the affirmative and negative perspectives on the following resolution: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its non-military exploration and/or development of the Earth’s oceans.
The Asbury students were trained by members of Monmouth’s Debate Team to participate in New Jersey’s Urban Debate League. The National Urban Debate League has a rich tradition and is credited with helping to catapult many urban students into successful careers, none more inspiring than Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. When she was nominated to the nation’s highest bench, she credited her mother and her high school involvement with New York’s Urban Debate League as the two most important reasons for her success. Please contact Prof. Joe Patten at 732 263-5742 if you are interested in joining the debate team.
Photo Courtesy of Joseph Patten