Out of all of Pennridge’s impressive clubs and extracurriculars, the debate team is particularly notable. The Pennridge debate club consists of several passionate students who enjoy discussing topics relevant to today’s society. For the past 6 years, Pennridge’s debate club has qualified for the semifinals in the LVIDA League. The LVIDA league is a group of schools that all participate in debate and compete against each other. Pennridge as well as other schools such as Catasauqua, Salisbury, and Palisades. 

There are usually four members per debate team. Either team is assigned either the affirmative side or the negative side and they must argue in favor of or against that debate’s topic. There are two topics every year, one for the first half of the year, and another for the second half. The team has a first speaker, a second speaker, a questioner, and a rebuttalist. Each member of the team has a slightly different role. Each speaker will present a five-minute speech. After they give their speech, the opposing team’s questioner will question their speech while the speaker answers the questions. After both speakers from each team present their speeches, there is a 5-minute break, and after the break, the rebuttalist closes the debate with their 5-minute speech. The rebuttal speech is a recap of the debate and what main points were made. The judge scores both teams and the winner is determined. 

The debate team is an amazing experience and involves more than just persuasive speaking. Every debate is hosted in a different school and before each debate, the coach Ms. Maderic takes the team out to breakfast. When asked about her favorite part of debate, Ms. Maderic said that she loves every part, including the students’ passion for learning, the community support from the LVIDA, and leaving the building to visit other schools! Club meetings are a great time to bounce ideas off of each other and get feedback from the team. Rebecca Yardly, Vice-President of the debate team said, “I really enjoyed being on a team with my friends, it made the debates much more enjoyable and it helped bring perspective while still having fun”.

The debate season typically runs from September to April. Ms. Maderic, the debate coach for Pennridge, holds tryouts the second week of September. Incoming members must write a two-and-a-half-minute speech on that year’s topic. Once the tryout process is completed, new members can choose their position and form a team. If any students are interested in joining the debate team, they can see Ms. Maderic in the library or email her at [email protected]! Pennridge’s debate team is a priceless experience that helps students grow their skills while having fun.