The Advance

Issue date: 9/22/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Paul Green Rodney Wren speaks to a group of high school students.

HUTCHINSON ?- Tuesday, September 12, at the Kansas State Fair, a select group of Kansas Wesleyan students traveled to witness and help run the annual high school State Fair Debates.
The students chosen to represent Kansas Wesleyan were Eric Arganbright, Tabitha Eissler, Noah Shook, and Rodney Wren. Wesleyan debate coach Gary Harmon and communications professor Paul Green accompanied these four to coordinate the debates. Green also enlisted the help of Arganbright and Shook to videotape the debates. This was the first time the State Fair Debates were videotaped since it was first started. Coach Harmon plans to use the recorded footage to make DVD's that would serve as a learning tool for high school debate programs across the state.
The schools performing demonstration debates were Moundridge High School, coached by Mark Stucky; Buhler High School, coached by Richard Young; Hutchinson High School, coached by Glenn Nelson; and McPherson High School, coached by Melissa Newton. All schools willingly agreed to participate, understanding that the best interest in education would be fulfilled. The debates brought in over 400 high school debate students to listen, watch, and learn. The turnout was larger than it has been in the past. Schools in attendance ranged from small schools like Lyons High School to larger schools such as Salina's own Salina Central High School and Salina South High School. There were also schools traveling from all over the state in attendance, some as far away as Emporia.
The actual debates were very interesting and educational. Buhler High School even provided a projector to help the first year debaters take notes, or "flow" as debaters call it, on the debates. Lindsey Miller, assisting Buhler in debate this year, ran the projector and took notes for the debaters to keep up with. The debaters argued over this year's high school topic of national service. Each school had four debaters demonstrate their skills by competing two on two against their own school.
The turnout and the videotaping of the State Fair Debates has started a new wave of education for debate programs throughout Kansas. Jason Mitchell, debate coach at Salina Central High School stated it was "good for those who are new to the activity to see first hand what a debate round is like." While there were no official winners in the debates, it is clear that the winners are the students and their education.

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