Friday, May 1, 2015
The Smoke Signal
www.thesmokesignal.org
SHADOW| Student
MSJ Debate makes comeback
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Debate team qualifies for prestigious national tournaments
By Andrew Choi Staff Writer MSJ Debate has seen a rapid rise in success this year as many of its members qualified to prestigious national tournaments including the Tournament of Champions (TOC), the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament, the National Speech and Debate Tournament, and the California State Debate Tournament. It is a complete turnaround from previous years where teams struggled even at small, local tournaments. A total of six MSJ teams have qualified to at least one of the four major tournaments held throughout April, May, and June. MSJ Debate is involved in two different formats of debate: Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas. Public Forum is a two vs. two debate format and Lincoln-Douglas is a one vs. one debate format. MSJ Debate had seen great success back in its prime, more than a decade ago in 2004, as the LincolnDouglas team had even been ranked first in the country. Additionally, MSJ Alumnus Andrew Garvin was the Lincoln-Douglas TOC champion in 2003. Unfortunately, from 2007 to 2009, the team lost its footing when it was suspended. This year, however, the team has achieved incredible success that has put MSJ Debate back on the map of the national debate community. Four Public Forum teams qualified for the major tournaments. The team of Freshmen Devesh Kodnani and Ankush Swarnakar qualified for all four tournaments. The team of Sophomores Max Wu and Nikit Shingari qualified for TOC and the California State Debate Tournament, while the team of Sophomores Rohan Saxena and Ansh Patel qualified for TOC, the California State Debate Tournament, and the NCFL Grand National Tournament. Meanwhile, two Lincoln-Douglas debaters
courtesy debate coach victor rivas
Front row (From left to right): Speech president Senior Claire Dobyns, Freshman Ankush Swarnakar, Sophomore Nikit Shingari, Freshman Devesh Kodnani, and Senior Claudia Shao; Second row (From left to right): Sophomores Ansh Patel, Rohan Saxena, Max Wu, and Junior Shivane Sabharwal
qualified for the major tournaments. Junior Shivane Sabharwal and Senior Anand Balaji have both qualified for the TOC and the California State Debate Tournament. Sabharwal is currently ranked 12th in the nation and Balaji is ranked 43rd. To qualify for the NCFL Grand National Tournament, the National Speech and Debate Tournament, and the California State Debate Tournament, debaters compete in qualifier tournaments months in advance. If they perform outstandingly there, they are given a spot to these national tournaments. However, to attend the TOC, debaters must have at least two bids, earned by placing at a certain level at a national tournament that has been approved by the TOC. Because of this, debaters consider attending TOC as the zenith of their debate career. When asked about the team’s recent achievements, Wu said, “I think the recent improvement really is thanks to our hard work, motivation, and constant competition with our peers. Last year, the team was really uncompetitive because no one was motivated
to do well except for a select number of students. I also think our coach Victor’s dedication contributed greatly [to our success].” MSJ Debate hopes they can continue to achieve much success throughout the remainder of the season, especially at the four major tournaments. Reflecting on the progress of MSJ Debate, Balaji said, “When I first came
“I think the recent improvement really is thanks to our hard work, motivation, and constant competition with our peers. ”
-Sophomore Max Wu
on the debate team as a freshman, we had less than 25 members, no coaching, and only went to about six local tournaments a year. Now we have more than 60 members, a professional coach, and we compete in tournaments all over the country. Seeing the tremendous growth of our organization over the past four years has been truly remarkable. MSJ’s Debate program is going to continue to be a powerhouse for many years to come.” ▪
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staff member was paired with a random MSJ student, which ensured that the staff could analyze the experiences of MSJ students with a variety of course loads and extracurricular activities. For one day, the staff members that participated in the program sat, along with their respective students, through all six periods of the day, and did everything the students did in the class, whether it was listening to a lecture, doing classwork, or doing a lab. They took notes on the materials teachers gave during class, such as handouts and worksheets, as well as the homework they assigned. The shadowers also kept in mind that for many MSJ students, the day did not end at the closing bell, and therefore, they followed up with their respective students over the next few days to know more about how extracurricular activities affected the students’ school-related activities. Assistant Principal Jeff Evans said, “We decided that we were going to be committed the whole day. We weren’t going to be on our phones and checking our email. We weren’t going to eat, and we weren’t going to leave. We were fully committed to experiencing everything the student experienced.” He noted that although only certain students were shadowed, the purpose of the program was to look at what happens during the actual classes. The shadowers also recorded the nature of each class, such as whether the majority of it was spent listening to a lecture, or whether it was more interactive. Evans also said, “The physical nature of sitting in the classroom for nearly an hour was also very revealing. Oftentimes, even we got the urge to use our cellphones to check email, and we understood that that happens for students as well.” Overall, according to Evans, the shadowing program was a very enlightening experience for those who participated. It is something that will likely be conducted in the future. Although immediate measures may not be taken due to the program, as Evans noted, “Shadowing serves as a very good reminder to teachers about how MSJ students manage school-related and extracurricular activities.” ▪
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