South Johnston freshmen learn the art of debate

Submitted by JOHNSTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

FOUR OAKS — Who doesn’t love a good debate? In various forms, debating has a long history, and can be traced back to the philosophical and political debates of ancient Greece.

For ninth-grade students in Machelle Rowe’s World History class, debating has become a South Johnston High tradition. Over the last 10 years, Rowe’s students have learned the art of debating. The idea came from one of her daughter’s teachers. “I just took it to the next level,” Rowe said.

She has even structured the debates like the NCAA basketball March Madness brackets. The students' first challenge is to decide who they think is the most historical figure of all time because of their impact on the world.

Rowe then provides a list of names, and if a student wants to deviate from said list, they must provide reasonable research for their consideration. Historical figures have included Prince, Steve Jobs and Lady Diana, to name a few.

She stated that when she makes the assignment at the beginning of each semester, not all of the students are excited, initially. That seems to change over time. “Most of the time the kids really get into it,” Rowe said. Parents have even come to her to tell her how their students won’t stop talking about the debates.

Freshman Diego Cruz welcomed the assignment. “I couldn’t wait to start debating,” he said.

Cruz chose The Beatles for his historical figure. A longtime fan, Cruz knew how impactful the band was because of the fact that even 60 years later, people still talk about them and listen to their music. He was interested in learning the secrets behind their success.

What surprised Cruz the most about The Beatles is how they have remained successful. As of 2019, they have had more than a billion streams, and have sold more units than Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, making them the most successful band in history.

Once the students have chosen their historical figure, Rowe teaches them research skills, and where to get information. Sometimes the findings aren’t always favorable. “It isn’t about whether the figure was a good person, but rather how the person influenced history,” Rowe said.

For example, in this year’s final debate the two historical figures were Henry Ford and Joseph Stalin. Clearly Stalin is not the best person, but Ford also had some skeletons in his closet.

Once the research is complete and each student prepares their facts, they present them in front of the class. Students also begin to learn about attacking, the term used for trying to prove the other person wrong.

Then the official debating begins. Each year Rowe switches things up to keep it interesting. “I try to do something a little bit different,” she said.

In years past, the debates were just between students in each individual class until the final debate. This year, students from all of her classes debated with one another. The change brought about an additional challenge, because each debater had no knowledge of the other person’s debating style.

Students who do not make it through the initial rounds of debates are still involved in the process. They contribute by critiquing debaters, doing research and making commercials and jingles in support of their debaters.

“I wanted them to understand that it isn’t just the people on stage,” Rowe said. “There’s a whole group of people behind the scenes that support the debaters.”

She also employs last year’s debaters, mainly 10th graders, to assist with critiquing the finalists, and give advice and ideas. “I bring in some of my former students to be the authentic audience,” Rowe said.

One of those students is Brooke Winborn, who participated in the debates last year. Her biggest takeaway was that she learned different real life scenarios. “It showed me how to communicate clearly, and even though everyone may not support your argument, consistency is key for the point you are trying to make,” she said.

For 10th grader Kellen Smith, whose sister had Rowe for World History a few years earlier, it was a welcomed assignment. When his sister had Rowe, Smith said she was always talking about the debates. “I was extremely thrilled!” he said.

He chose John F. Kennedy as his historical figure. One reason he chose Kennedy is because of the way he handled the Cuban Missile Crisis. “I’m a big history guy,” said Smith. “I love my presidents.”

Once the initial debates are complete and the finalists have been named, the final debate is held in the auditorium for all ninth graders to watch. There is no time limit, so the debate goes until it becomes repetitive. When asked if the debates ever become heated, Rowe said emphatically, “Oh yes!”

This year’s finalists were Audrey Peacock and Zach Lee. When Peacock first learned of the assignment, she was a bit nervous. “I’m not an argumentative person,” she said.

She was, however, very interested to see what would happen, and what the outcomes would be. She chose Henry Ford as her historical figure. “I wanted to choose someone whose name was used in abundance in history, who helped throughout the world and had an influence that would continue for many generations to come,” Peacock said.

Lee chose Joseph Stalin because he knew the most about the former Soviet politician and dictator. When the assignment was first handed down, he thought it was going to be easy. What surprised Lee the most was that during the debates, Stalin continued to win against others significantly more influential than himself.

Once the final debate was over, the ninthgrade students then voted on who they thought was the best at proving their person’s historical impact on the world. This year’s winner was Stalin. Lee said that the most important lesson for him was, “That even if something isn’t likely to happen, it doesn't mean you can’t win.”

Rowe said she hopes the biggest takeaway for her students is “that they have a voice and what they say matters.” She also emphasizes how and why they should research information before creating an opinion on something.

Overall, the event was a huge success, and there is no debating that!