Day 1 of the Middle School Manhattan Debate Institute!
<div> </div><!–more–><div>We started the day with bagels and ice-breakers before we moved into smaller groups, or labs. Our largest lab is the Red lab, led by veteran Bard Queens debaters DJ Ozdemir and Elaine Crooks. Coming in a close second is our Orange lab, led by Garden School whiz-kid Joelle Garcia with an assist from longtime UDL supporter Loretta Brady. Our introductory parliamentary debaters are in the Yellow Lab, led by Poly Prep debater Claudia LeDuc and Ridge debater Kevin Tang. Our largest two-week lab is the Blue Lab, led by Felix Roz of Hunter College High School and Namerlyn Rosario of Dr. Richard Izquierdo Health & Science Charter School. Coming in close behind is the Purple Lab, led by rising star Marzan Noshin from Queens High School for Language Studies and veteran debater Eszter Morvay of Hunter College High School. Our two-week parliamentary lab, the Silver Lab, is led by Rosalisy Peguero, also of Dr. Richard Izquierdo, and Zachary Kaplan of NYC iSchool. Finally, our advanced public forum lab, the Black Lab, is led by Diya Chadha, who’s headed to Duke next year, and Kai Brady-Ngugi, of Midwood High School.</div><div> </div><div>We had tons of fun today and learned a lot. The debaters learned the structure of an argument (claim, warrant, impact) and how to create sound arguments on their own. They also learned the basics of the format they will compete in on Friday. Finally, each lab received a lecture on the topic they’ll debate. The Red and Orange Labs learned about the death penalty, while the Blue, Purple and Black labs learned about China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Our parliamentary labs got to hear about a variety of topics, since parliamentary debate tournaments always cover more than one topic.</div><div> </div><div>I personally had a blast, and I hope the students did, too. I’m looking forward to seeing them all again tomorrow morning.</div><div> </div><div>Best,</div><div><br>Taylor, Program Manager and Debate Institute Director</div>