by Brie Borruso (’16)
I am the captain of Public Forum debate and I am grateful to have been a member of the PF team for four years. Public Forum debate is a 2v2-style activity where pairs of debaters from different schools debate each other about policy suggestions for current events. Some previous monthly topics include standardized testing, private prisons, firearm restrictions, and climate change.
Researching both sides to each topic offers expansive insights to new world views and ultimately helps each debater find their own opinions and passions. The partner-style of the activity makes the event invaluable–both members of each pair must work together and support each other’s points and ideas during a round.
In preparation, they get to closely understand the strategies and thought processes of their partner, whom some PFers would call their “other half.” The long nights spent researching and writing, meetings spent practicing and strategizing, and tournaments spent collaborating and competing, build on one another to create an enriching experience mirrored by no other high school opportunity.