With a 26-6 record for the regular season, Pennridge High School debate is doing as well as they anticipated. That record got them second place in the Lehigh Valley Interscholastic Debate Association for the third time in four years. The debate team has 36 members, lead by the coach: high school librarian, Ms. Lisa Maderic. The team completed the regular season at Salisbury High School on February 22nd. They finished by going 8-0 and bringing in 25 perfect scores by 12 different students on the team.  In an interview, Ms. Maderic said that she was on the debate team while she was in high school. It helped her to, “Learn how to present, put ideas in a measured fashion, and understand other points of view besides her own.” Debate means a lot to her.

As the team continues into the postseason, which started in early March, the senior officers, Brandon Sipes, Alison Yurchak, Ethan Quinn, Ione Blaxall and Evan Carey, will continue to take the team to victory. When asked about next season without the five seniors, Maderic stated that, “It’s going to be tough. Seniors are the officers. They’re leading the team even into the postseason.” She went on to say that the seniors are working very hard for the semi-finals. Ms. Maderic believes wholeheartedly that her team will go all the way to the finals. When asked to compare the debate team from last year to this year, she said that, “We are pretty similar.” She said that she can’t compare the two currently, since the team is now in postseason, but she finds a lot of similarities in the regular season.

Every person on the debate team has a place. First, there is either the opposition or the proposition. The proposition always goes first. The first proposition speaker offers a problem and then presents a solution. They then support the solution and why that is the correct solution. The opposition then speaks giving reasoning why the problem is obsolete or why the proposition is incorrect in their solution. The proposition then is allowed another speaker. They talk up the first speaker and give further information as to why their idea is correct and they explain why the opposition is incorrect. The opposition then speaks again and gives reasoning why the proposition is flawed in their ideas and gives more reasoning to support their side. The proposition welcomes its third speaker and explains the problem again and rebuilds the first speaker’s solution. The opposition then gives more reason they should be correct in their argument and their solution or why the problem is non-existent. The opposition then gives another speaker the turn to explain why they are correct. The proposition ends it then by defending their idea and what is at the heart of their belief.

At the end of it all, the team is given a score and the winning team is assigned points which advances them.

From the beginning of the season in November, Ms. Maderic’s team has put in time starting from just once a week, to more when they feel necessary. She is thrilled with the team’s efforts and believes that they will continue to do great in the postseason. The finals are in April and until then the debate team will work tirelessly to win first place.

The senior leaders of the team, Brandon Sipes (left), Allison Yurchak (left), Ethan Quinn (center), Ione Blaxall (Right), and Evena Carey (Right). Photo credits to Pennridge School District