by Meredith M. Griffith

Sounder contributor

The great beauty of debate, says coach Joan Pedrick, is the development of critical thinking skills that happens when students are asked to analyze different sides of a complex issue.

“The topics are always current,” she says. “They’re always interesting and thought-provoking, and there’s never an easy answer to one side or the other.”

Instead of just choosing their own instinctive viewpoint and defending it, students may be asked to present a cohesive argument for a view they completely disagree with. As they research and ponder the issues, they develop useful life skills: research and writing, analytical skills, critical thinking and public speaking.

“If they’re willing to put the time and energy in, any student can learn the skills,” says Pedrick. Topics selected by the National Speech and Debate Association are timely and politically relevant. This year, topics included gun regulations and jury nullification, in which a jury decides in a manner contrary to the law for specific reasons.

Pedrick, who has led the Orcas Island High School Debate Team for the past two seasons, saw four of her 12-member team qualify for the state Debate tournament this spring.

First-year novices junior Rowan Lister and senior Kahana Pietsch made it to state in the Student Congress category, while juniors Devon Mann and Gunnar Sandwith qualified in the Lincoln Douglas debate category.

“It was a really exciting experience,” says Sandwith. “There was a lot of drama.”

While Sandwith placed in the top 10, Mann also did very well, beating out a competitor who placed highly in the tournament.

In addition to the students who earned berths at the state Debate tourney, junior Anneke Fleming qualified to compete at the separate state Speech tournament last weekend (March 19) in Interpretive Reading (poetry and prose).

“For a team our size, that’s remarkable,” commented Pedrick, who attributes the students’ success to dedication, persistence and focused hard work.

Mann says of her experience, “Debate has been such an unexpected but amazing influence in my life. I feel like debate has just really allowed me to expand on a lot of topics that interest me and has allowed me to learn a lot about myself as an individual. As a debater I have to examine important world issues in-depth from both sides of a conflict. That’s something that I don’t think a lot of people do, and I think that if we did the world would be a much more educated and peaceful place.” She admits, “It’s scary debating with someone in front of people, but it also raises you to a whole higher level, it teaches you how to keep a calm head in stressful situations and the nerves can actually make you a better debater.”

The team was started two years ago when Mann and Sandwith convinced Pedrick to be their coach. Assistant coaches Ian Lister and Katie Blaine helped with this season, as well. For the past two years, the team has hosted a summer debate camp to help island kids brush up on their skills. The camp is expected to run this summer as well.

“I want to extend a thank you to Orcas Island Education Foundation, our principal funders this year,” added Pedrick. She says that while contest entry fees are nominal, expenses do add up for travel, as the team must stay overnight for one or two nights in a hotel for each event. The debate team recently applied for a grant with the Orcas Island Community Foundation, and community members are invited to contribute to support the team’s next season.

Mann and Sandwith both express tremendous gratitude to their coaches, teammates and community for support this year.

Says Sandwith, “I would like to thank all the supporters for this extremely valuable opportunity that gave me one of the most fun and educational experiences of my life.”