This March, a coin toss marked the start of one of the most anticipated academic events at GWUOHS: the annual Student vs. Staff Debate.

The event, organized by the Debate Club, centered on the question of China’s international extraction of natural resources, prompting lively exchanges on topics ranging from supply chains to human rights policies. 

While the annual event highlights the students’ thoughtful research and excellent persuasive skills, it also offers a glimpse into the club’s mission and focus: the Debate Club is a place where students engage in rigorous academic discussions and develop communication strategies that are valuable both inside and outside the classroom.

Graduating senior Fernando G., who is the club’s vice president, described the Debate Club as an inviting and competitive space that encourages its members to sharpen their argumentation and articulation.

“Debate club is about communication. It’s about turning you into a more confident, eloquent, and expressive speaker by debating your peers on some of the world’s leading topics,” Fernando said. 

Daniel Kelly, the club sponsor, said that club meetings, held three times a month, generally vary between two types: learning and debating. 

“One of the types of meetings that we have is more of a learning type of meeting where we have to go through strategies and approaches for instructing the different types of speaking rounds and the different skills that are needed,” Kelly said.

In these meetings, students learn how to ask and answer questions during crossfire rounds and how to construct their cases, receiving advice and feedback from club leaders.

In the second type of meeting, the club engages in full debates, usually in a public forum style, where each person is paired with a partner and debates another team as a pair.

“A good amount of our other meetings will just be engaging in full debates. So, really, we apply all that’s learned of whichever style of debate that we’re engaged in that semester,” Kelly said.

Club leaders and graduating seniors Jackson G. and Fernando G. have played a vital role in shaping the club into what it has become, helping plan and lead meetings, organize presentations and tournaments, and guide club members through debate.

 “They have the best firsthand knowledge of those experiences,” commented Kelly. “So with the communication outside of club time and the planning – the pre-planning beforehand was always big – they would predominantly lead the club meetings overall.”

The club’s main challenges have been absences and online limitations. Kelly highlighted that attendance is crucial to the Debate Club’s success, as each member teams up with a partner to build their case and develop a debating flow. 

“You’re working with a partner, there’s a lot of planning, there’s a lot of practicing, so absences really hurt the club. It sets it back,” he said.

To address this challenge, the Debate Club introduced a new format this semester: extemporaneous speaking. In this style of debate, students are given a topic and a limited amount of time to prepare before presenting their argument and participating in a group debate. This faster-paced format includes shorter rounds and encourages students to strengthen both their research and public speaking skills.

For Kelly, one of the most meaningful aspects of sponsoring the club has been watching students grow in confidence over time.

“I think that one of the biggest takeaways, at least that I find the most positive, is the students that come in that are very hesitant… They’re a little bit shy, but they want to get out of their comfort zone. And then they turn out to be some of the best debaters. And you can see their confidence grow as they move through the year,” Kelly said.

Fernando said that one of the most rewarding parts of the club is being challenged with unfamiliar topics and learning to build arguments from scratch. 

“It’s an exciting feeling to go from being absolutely puzzled at what a topic is about to suddenly being capable of devising a bulletproof argument. The thrill of seeing how peers go through the same process only adds to it,” Fernando said.

As the school year comes to a close, graduating club leaders are leaving behind a legacy of lasting impact. 

Fernando hopes the Debate Club will continue to foster an encouraging yet competitive environment where students feel confident expressing their ideas and trying new approaches to debate. 

The Debate Club creates a space for its members to grow, learn, and thrive, even as it faces challenges. Speaking to future members, Fernando encouraged students not to hesitate to get involved.

“Give Debate Club a chance. The club can often be intimidating to newer members, so remember you have nothing to prove to anyone. You’re there to have fun, to learn new topics, to meet your peers, and to develop who you are as a person. Whether you win or lose is irrelevant as long as you feel you’re growing and learning,” Fernando said.