Largest Policy Debate Team in the state!
Announcement:
TC Central High School will be hosting its 3rd Annual Traverse Area Debate Camp, June 20-24, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Camp is open to all area incoming 8th through 12 graders and there will be four levels of instruction: Novice, Novice Plus, Intermediate and Advanced. Camp instructors will be Alan Gocha and Mike Leap, NDT debaters from Wayne State University, plus coaches and alumni from Traverse City Central, an elite-tier state finalist team. Camp fees are $200. Checks should be made payble to TCAPS and mailed to Carol Roehrich @ Central High School, 1150 Milliken Dr., Traverse City, 49686. Area coaches and judges are welcome, too, at no cost.
For more information call: CAROL ROEHRICH @ 933-3518 or roehrichca@tcaps.net
What is Debate?
Through Debate, students learn the intricacies of researching and advocating a position using the national high school debate resolution. Debate covers everything from the detailed rules and procedures that are part of debating to the best way to research a topic. They also learn how to discern what's relevant in the overabundance of information that is now available on the Internet. Students learn and successfully utilize research techniques, critical thinking skills, presentation skills and leadership skills, while tackling meaty national issues. High school debaters can also qualify for college scholarships. For TCAPS students, debate class now counts toward a Visual Performing Applied Arts credit, a requirement recently added by the state. Debate class is offered all three trimesters.
Resolution
The resolution that every high school policy debater in the United States will debate for the 2010-2011 debate season is:
Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reduce its military and/or police presence in one or more of the following: South Korea, Japan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq, Turkey.
Who may join the debate team?
Any 9th-12th grader who is interested in defeating an opponent using evidence, strategy and persuasive speaking may join. People on the debate team do NOT have to take the debate class, and people in debate class do NOT have to be on the team.
Sign-ups
People can sign up anytime. There are no cuts. Everyone who comes to practice gets to debate competitively. Experience is preferred, but not necessary. There are three levels of competitive policy debate: Novice, Junior Varsity, and Varsity.
Practices
Practices begin in August before school starts and are usually one day after school and on Sundays from 5:00-8:00. The competitive season begins in September with league debates Wednesdays after school at Central. There are also invitational tournaments in Michigan that we enter that last into January. Debaters may do just league, just tournaments, or both. We will compete at three national tournaments during the 2010-11 school year: two in Chicago and one at the University of Michigan. We will also compete at the Novice, JV, and Varsity State Finals Tournaments, and at the Michigan and National Tournament of Champions if we have qualifiers.