Aug. 7—Students on the Manhattan High School debate team are preparing for a new school year by crafting new arguments for competitions.
Since Monday, debate students have researched the field of water protection policies in the U.S. MHS debate and forensics head coach Mac Phrommany said students this year will be debating the pros and cons of the resolution outlined by the National Speech and Debate Association: “Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its protection of water resources in the United States.”
Phrommany said during the camp, students create arguments in support of and against specific policy recommendations. He said the process of crafting an argument is “quite similar to how a person in Congress would operate.”
The debate camp comes to a close Saturday with an intra-team tournament and a visit to the Water Matters Day event at Sunset Zoo. The educational event focusing on water issues is hosted by the Konza Rotary Club.
Phrommany said students on the team travel each weekend to compete against other schools. Manhattan High School’s debate team has competed at the state and national level over several decades.