"Incredibly articulate", "extremely well-poised", and "so well-prepared" were some of the comments made by judges at the recent SSIA Elementary Debate Tournament. The Tournament, which took place last Thursday, January 22nd, at Lawton Elementary, was truly an amazing event to witness. A record 80 students attended the 10-week debate classes at our four elementary schools, and 64 students - 32 teams - participated in the debate tournament. Adding in family members, friends, and volunteers, the Lawton cafeteria was filled to capacity as excited students received last-minute instructions from coaches, families offered reassurances, and volunteers stepped up to help with everything from greeting participants and judging, to distributing snacks and overseeing pizza consumption! Under the expert guidance of SSIA Debate Program Manager Sandy Nielsen, everything came together for a fun and exciting tournament, culminating in the awards ceremony where the top 12 teams and 24 individual speakers were recognized.

 

Of course, none of this would be possible without the generous support we receive from The Norcliffe Foundation and The Moraine Foundation, as well as from individual donors in our community. A quality Debate program like ours requires experienced coaches, expert consultants, plenty of student materials and a small but dedicated staff - all of which can cost up to $10,000 per debate session. With this in mind, please Save the Date for our 3rd Annual Breakfast Fundraiser on March 25th. We hope to see you there!