With
only
one
season
under
their
belts,
several
members
of
a
new
Haymarket
Elementary
School
debate
club
formed
a
small
team
and
bravely
competed
against
14
more-experienced
teams
from
area
school
divisions,
including
D.C.,
Fairfax,
Loudoun,
Arlington,
and
Alexandria,
at
the
fall
Washington
DC
Urban
Debate
League
tournament,
a
part
of
the
National
Speech
and
Debate
Association.
According
to
Principal
Scott
Baldwin,
Haymarket
is
the
first
elementary
school
in
PWCS
to
have
a
debate
club.
While
initially
the
whole
seven-member
club
held
meetings
in
the
library
for
an
hour
one
morning
a
week,
as
the
competition
neared
and
the
"resolution,"
or
debate
topic,
was
announced,
the
team
began
meeting
for
two
hours
every
day
to
train
more
intensely.
In
debate,
it's
important
to
be
able
to
make
a
case
for
either
side
of
a
topic,
so
students
take
turns
practicing
both
supporting
and
opposing
roles
based
on
the
flip
of
a
coin.
They
must
also
understand
debate
terminology
and
be
able
to
follow
the
judge's
timing
and
that
of
their
opponents.
Once
they
understand
some
of
the
mechanics,
debate
practice
focuses
on
case
creation,
sources
contention,
and
structure.
Students
study
different
communication
methods
for
speaking
and
listening;
how
to
conduct
research;
and
writing
and
organization.
In
debate,
the
topic,
or
resolution,
changes
every
two
months.
Adil
Usufzai,
club
sponsor,
team
coach,
and
the
father
of
member
Muhammad,
helped
his
newly
minted
group
of
fifth
graders
prepare
for
their
first
competition.
"The
skills
students
develop
are
real-life
and
have
a
practical
impact,"
said
Usufzai.
"They
learn
how
to
approach
things
with
a
structure,
to
think
intuitively
and
logically.
Debate
pushes
them
to
practice
civil
discourse
at
an
early
level."
According
to
Usufzai,
the
four
competitors,
though
nervous,
were
"super-charged"
at
the
tournament
and
ended
up
scoring
in
the
fifth
and
sixth
positions
against
the
other
more-seasoned
teams.
Congratulations
to
Muhammad
Saifullah
Usufzai,
captain
for
team
1;
and
Ava
Greene,
team
partner;
Braedon
Strahley,
captain
for
team
2;
and
Aniyah
Rush,
team
partner.
"This
first
time
was
to
give
the
kids
an
initial
understanding
of
the
debate
process
and
a
taste
of
what
competing
is
like,"
said
Usufzai.
"Beforehand,
all
the
students
were
having
nerves,
but
when
I
asked
them
if
we
are
going
to
compete
again,
they
all
said,
'Of
course!'"
The
students
are
now
gearing
up
for
the
next
competition
in
April.
Giving our students the skills and opportunities to learn to be great communicators is Positively PWCS!
