For students at Rock Ridge High School, the Phoenix debate team is not just an extracurricular –-it is a means to express oneself and grow as an individual, both academically and personally. 

Rock Ridge offers a variety of events within its debate team, including Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, Student Congress, and Policy, and these programs have found tremendous success this season. Rock Ridge debaters have shown significant excellence by placing in the top 6 rankings in multiple competitions, with a multitude of debaters from each event within the team qualifying for the Washington Arlington Catholic Forensic League (WACFL) Metro Finals in the spring. This may qualify them for the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament in May.

Each section of debate appeals to students for its own special reasons. “Lincoln-Douglas debate stood out to me because of its focus on values and ethics,” senior LD officer Amulya Gottipati said. “The emphasis on value clash and the philosophical aspect of Lincoln-Douglas debate truly appealed to me, as I am able to tackle abstract questions about morality and justice in a structured manner.” 

Sophomore Harikrishna Rameshkumar, a second-year Student Congress debater, cited the spirit of the team to be his reason for joining. “The team seemed very enjoyable and lighthearted,” Rameshkumar said. “It seemed like a fun time to enjoy my Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

Competing in the five monthly WACFL tournaments within the preliminary debate season requires a lot of preparation and effort for debaters. Many first-year debaters recounted nervousness and uncertainty before walking into their first WACFL experience. “Right before WACFL one, I had a mock debate in which I particularly did horrible in,” freshman Shamik Mishra, a Public Forum (PF) debater, said. “I thought that I was going to be horrible at this, and I really did not have high expectations to win much, and I was not confident at all.” 

Regardless of this, Mishra and his partner, Sophomore Jayant Varshney, managed to grow a lot more significantly from the start of the season, even managing to obtain a full bid for the PF Junior Varsity (JV) Metro Final tournament. They credit a lot of their growth to help from the PF officers. “I don’t even know how, but so far me and my partner have an undefeated record of 7-0,” Mishra said. “I think I have definitely grown as a debater since the start of the year. Officers were really helpful in providing us with feedback, read our first two cases, and also gave great suggestions after mocks. Without their help, we would struggle a lot more during debates. They also create block files that counter other arguments, which are really helpful during debates.” 

Freshman Naisha Pothireddy, an LD debater, also credited her improvement to the student officers, specifically the LD captains. “I’m very thankful for our LD debate president, Nivetha Mohan, because the information she shares with us in debate really helps us gain a better understanding of how to express our thoughts, deal with difficult situations in an actual debate, and gain valuable knowledge about our debate resolutions,” Pothireddy said. 

The most notable takeaway students have experienced by being involved in debate is the effect it has had on their academic performance, and personal lives. “Debate has impacted my ability for both speaking and thinking skills,” freshman Nitya Polavarapu, a PF debater, said. “By having to come up with answers to questions on the spot and address the opponent’s case, I have to think about what to say in the time I have. It’s helped my speaking skills, as I’m able to talk clearly and confidently to make sure I get my points across and hopefully win the round.” 

Mishra also highlights how debate has helped him academically. “Debate has had a positive effect on my academics. I have learned to write and speak better which helps for English and history a lot, as those classes involve a lot of both [of those skills] with [the] seminars, essays, and stories [in those classes],” Mishra said. 

Junior Uday Goel, a third-year Student Congress debater, states that debate has helped him significantly in classes that require public speaking skills. “[Debate has helped me] mostly through public speaking, because now whenever I do a project or presentation, it just overall [has] helped me with my confidence when I go up there and speak,” Goel said.

Debate has impacted students in a personal sense by broadening their perspectives and allowing them to think more critically. “Being in debate impacted my personal life a lot because it forced me to be more open-minded and not form strong opinions on things without gaining enough knowledge about the topic,” Pothireddy said. 

Gottipati also highlighted similar sentiments. “Debate has positively impacted my personal life by broadening my social, political, and global views,” Gottipati said. “Exploring nuanced issues and diverse perspectives during rounds has taught me how to navigate challenging conversations with empathy. These experiences have made me a well-informed citizen and have also prepared me for the real world by making me a more dynamic conversationalist and think critically outside the field of competitive debate.” 

One main thing about debaters at Rock Ridge, which sets them apart from other students who take debate, and allows for the team to be so successful, is the community they display for each other. “Rock Ridge debaters are incredibly dedicated, intellectually curious, and supportive of each other,” Gottipati said. “I believe what sets us apart is our emphasis on preparation and collaboration as we work hard in refining our cases and providing each other with constructive feedback. This continuous learning environment has allowed us to succeed both individually and as a team.”