Varsity Promotions and Team Captains

The LMSA Debate Team is pleased to announce the appointment of Olivia Weathers and Brianna Frison as team captains for the 2008-2009 season. They will be taking on responsibilities for running practice, training new debaters, and managing debate files.

In addition, Olivia and Brianna, along with the team of Fatimah Muhammad and Mariah Dixon have been promoted to varsity debate. They will be competing at the varsity level for the first time at the Orr HS Debate Tournament on January 9th and 10th.

Introducing Mock Trial

Today the Speech & Debate Colloquium elected to begin preparing for the 2009 Cook County Mock Trial Competition. We are very excited to get started on this. More information will be posted soon.

Project Soapbox Results

Today the Speech & Debate Colloquium held its first Project Soapbox public speaking contest, sponsored by Mikva Challenge. The theme for the contest was, "What is the greatest injustice facing young people today?" There were many, many excellent speeches and the top three were:

1st Place - Joseph Raya
2nd Place - Christine Davis
3rd Place - Chloe Jackson

Honorable mentions go to Miranda Ploss, Madinah Patterson, Akeem Forbes, and Anoribe Nwannewuihe. Our top three speakers will be competing in the 1st Annual Justice Anne Burke Invitational Public Speaking competition in March.



Joseph Raya - 1st Place


Joseph Raya & Christine Davis
(Chloe went early to the pep rally)

Scenes from Tournament I

Looks like Madinah didn't get enough sleep after her birthday party!




Last minute Core File review



You would not believe what this girl said in that last round!




So then, I totally pulled out my disad and completely killed her case!




If this is what our competition is going to be like, this is going to be too much fun!

Grade Checks and Eligibility

At the end of the month, report cards will be coming out. This means that all debaters must submit their report cards for eligibility. There are two minimum requirements to remain eligible for debate.

1. Minimum unweighted GPA of 2.0
2. Failing no more than 1 course

Any student failing to meet these requirements will be ineligible to compete for the entire 2nd trimester. 2nd Trimester report cards will be evaluated to determine eligibilty for the third trimester, including the City Championship and State tournaments. Grade check forms are being distributed to debaters to check on grades now. Students failing any classes must discuss that grade with his/her teacher to determine if there is any work that can be made up to improve the course grade.

Academics is and will always take priority over debate.

Lincoln-Douglas Topic for November & December

The National Forensic League recently released the November-December topic for Lincoln-Douglas debate.

Resolved: In a democratic society, felons ought to retain the right to vote.

“Nationally, an estimated 5.3 million Americans are denied the right to vote because of laws that prohibit voting by people with felony convictions. This fundamental obstacle to participation in democratic life is exacerbated by racial disparities in the criminal justice system, resulting in an estimated 13% of Black men unable to vote.” This information comes from an organization called The Sentencing Project. The fundamental question of this debate is, "do felons give up all of their civil liberties when they have been convicted of a felony?"

This does not mean only those who are in jail for a felony. In many states, once a person has been convicted of a felony they lose their right to vote in that state as long as they reside in that state. Does a convicted felon lose a fundamental civil liberty even if he has served his debt to society.

This promises to be a "law and order" kind of justice debate. We will be debating this resolution at the Kelly High School Bustamante Classic on December 5th & 6th.

New bulletin board

The debate team has taken ownership of the red bulletin board right outside Room 220. This will be used to post important dates, upcoming seminars and events, and other information such as current top team and top speaker. Debaters should make a point of checking the board in case they missed anything via e-mail.

Tournament II - In the Nest

Now that the opening tournament is completed, its time to focus on Tournament II, the 10th annual Lindblom Convocational. This is a very important tournament since the debaters will be looking to qualify for the Conference and City Championship tournaments. This will also be the first Lindblom tournament to host both Policy and Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Practice sessions for the remainder of this month will involve researching and writing new case elements and mock debates.

One last note about Tournament I. The team would like to thank Mr DeBruin and Mr Woods for volunteering their time to be judges. Your support of the team is greatly appreciated.

National Forensic League points

After the first tournament, our debaters began earning points towards membership and degrees in the National Forensic League (NFL). Here are the point totals for our team so far.

Joe Raya - 24 pts
Madinah Patterson - 24 pts
Fatimah Muhammad - 24 pts
Mariah Dixon - 24 pts
Olivia Weathers - 21 pts
Brianna Frison - 21 pts
Reggie Benton - 18 pts
Taylor Wills - 18 pts

In all likelihood, all of these debaters will earn their first degrees, the Degree of Merit at the Lindblom Tournament. Good luck and great job!

Tournament I Results

With our first tournament completed, the Lindblom Debate Team is off to a great start. Collectively, our team finished 13-3 and received numerous awards.

Team Awards
Joseph Raya and Madinah Patterson
3rd Place Team, 4-0

Fatimah Muhammad and Mariah Dixon
4th Place Team, 4-0

Brianna Frison and Olivia Weathers
5th Place Team 3-1

Individual Awards
Brianna Frison - 3rd Place Speaker
Taylor Wills - 8th Place Speaker
Olivia Weathers - 10th Place Speaker
Reggie Benton - 11th Place Speaker
Joe Raya - 12th Place Speaker

This was an exceptional performance by the team. Now they are looking forward to the Lindblom home tournament on October 31st and November 1st.

Introducing Lincoln-Douglas Debate

The LMSA Debate Team is expanding earlier than planned and will be training students to compete in Lincoln-Douglas (LD) Debate. In LD, students compete one-on-one with resolutions that relate to societal values and beliefs. The first topic of the year is:

Resolved: It is morally permissable to kill one innocent person to save the lives of more innocent people.

Its a great topic and one that I'm really looking forward to. Our first competition for LD will be October 31st at Lindblom.

Support Lindblom Debate

Introducing the Lindblom Debate Team Coffee mug!

http://www.zazzle.com/lindblom_debate_team_11oz_mug-168251351637166130

Sponsor the Lindblom Debate Team

The season has officially begun and we are starting our Fall Sponsorship drive! We are seeking donations to support our team and students as they prepare for competition. We need your support to purchase necessary supplies and materials, supplement our transportation budget, and other key needs. To make a secure donation, please click the "Donate" button to the right.

Announcing the new Debate Logo!

Debate Colloquium Meets Wednesday

This year, members of the LMSA Debate Team will be able to enroll in the new Debate Colloquium. We will meet Wednesdays in Room 220. Team members are not required to enroll in this colloquium but it is strongly encouraged.

Our first after school practice will be held Monday, August 11th in Room 220.

What should our new logo be?

Below you will find four concepts for a new team logo. They aren't final versions, but starting points. I'd like your feedback about which one we should select as the template for a new logo. Add your comment below about which one you prefer and how you would improve it.

Debate Schedule 2008-2009

The Chicago Debate League has confirmed the season schedule for 2008-2009.

• Tournament I Saturday, October 4th - South Shore High School
• Tournament II Friday-Saturday, October 31 and November 1, Lindblom Convocational
• Tournament III Friday=Saturday, December 12th & 13th, DePaul University Mid-Season Classic
• Tournament IV Friday-Saturday, January 9th & 10th, Orr High School
• Tournament V Friday-Saturday, February 20th & 21st, AA Conference Championship Tournament, Hubbard High School
• Tournament VI Friday-Saturday, March 27th & 28th, City Championship Tournament, DePaul University

You will note that at least two tournaments fall during our intersession breaks. Debaters are still expected to attend practice before, and compete in these tournaments. If you have any questions, please see Mr. Silva in Room 220.