“And the awardee is . . . from Roosevelt!” announced the Washington Urban Debate League coordinator for what seemed like the hundredth time. The auditorium explodes with cheer as the organizers roll their eyes at the ERHS students’ failure to abide by the one-clap policy. For the next award reveals, our great debaters struggle to suppress their zeal from bursting out of them. Sweat beads on the faces of other contestants; Eleanor Roosevelt’s debate team was coming for the throne.
The team faced big changes in the past two years. Not only did the team switch from a public forum to a policy debate format, but its membership skyrocketed to a plethora of winners studying the art of argumentation every Monday and Wednesday. Fresh out of school, on December 21st, 2024, the team competed in WUDL’s Winter Holiday Classic, taking home four speaker awards (1st place JV speaker: Sebastian Zeller, 7th place JV speaker: Madison Galloway, 4th place Novice speaker: David Alozie, 9th place Novice speaker: Nicholas Rivero) and four team awards (13th place novice team: Nicholas and Ilenia Rozario, 12th place novice team: Trinity Garuba and Kasiye Woubeshet, 4th place novice team: Jadon Ankrah and David Alozie, 2nd place JV team: Sebastian and Madison). According to its co-president, junior Sandiyah Mannah, the debate club is an encouraging environment where “we’ve all been very supportive to each other in all regards, from helping with cases to just answering general debate questions”. Not only is the club a great opportunity to improve one’s speaking skills, but joining the debate team has helped junior Tewodros Abeje “get out of my comfort zone and improve my argumentative skills.”
Sponsored by Dr. Shader, coached through Zoom by Roosevelt grad Aisha Bah, and led by co-presidents senior Jerry Ngawana and Sandiyah Mannah, the club turns debating into a community where everyone paves the road for each other’s success. This January, our team will compete in the Pennsbury Travel Tournament, facing against debaters from across the country. Don’t just wish our debaters luck, says Sandiyah, “come to a meeting and experience debate for all it can be!”