Special Report

Today food was consumed at a different campus other than BRUCE HALL, DENTON. I would like to take a moment to inform the public that nothing will compare to Bruce Hall.

It was a short two weeks..

Camp is over! On behalf of Mr. Beard, Sam, and myself we would like to thank all of our lab for being perfect. We know “ya’ll” learned a lot and hope to see you next year. Our last lab went smoothly, students were given words of encouragement for next year, and for the camp tournament in general. We also gave students our contact information in case they have any concerns or questions. We are confident our students have the skills to succeed both in education and competition. Thanks for a great two weeks!

See you around...

The 2-week UNT experience is winding down. While most of our lab is tired, we still found the strength to block out arguments, share our debate goals for the future, and thank one another for what we learned. The day started out with some lovely electives, complete with humor and information. Following electives students attended their last article group, where they tied together the various concepts they had learned the past two weeks and discussed the application to debate. Then it was time for lab. After lunch we had some more tournament rounds, the records are close and everyone is motivated to win! Rachel is doing very well and is trying to remain focused on learning, not her record. After rounds we had dinner and now optional activities. One of the optional activities, I personally am looking forward to is the demo debate between Katherine and Shane, Katherine will be doing a performance which she developed for TOC!

And it keeps goin'

            The intensity began today with multiple practice rounds. The skill level definitely improved as the day went on. The day started with a lab session, we met in the library and made some updates on our cases. I have set a goal to find Andrew a CHACKO TACO before I leave Denton.  Then we had two practice rounds, lunch, and three more practice rounds. Hopefully the saying is right and practice does make perfect. After practice rounds, I personally enjoyed Jimmy Johns with Ms. Tanya. It was worth the walk across campus in the 99 degree weather. Dinner was followed by article group, featuring everyone’s favorite author: Nozick! Lab concluded the day with the blocking of arguments, choosing of electives and practicum’s of skills. Mike is catching up really quick, having arrived a week late, he seems to really like new topic. The week is almost over and our students are getting sad.

I don't know but I've been told...

This morning our lab headed to lab after a plentiful serving of home-made Belgian Waffles. In lab, our students could be found reading cases, editing, or even researching for some last minute blocks. Chris should get a special shout-out because he was working very hard at putting his persuasion skills into practice. He must’ve read his case at least ten times! Then it was off to the first practice rounds, students and staff alike were waiting in great anticipation for our cases and responses to be put into action. The first practice round was followed by lunch. Then it was three more practice rounds! After talking to some of the students in our lab the consensus was that rounds went a lot better than expected. After the practice round it was time for our third elective. Students had the choice of attending lectures on democratic theory, critical race theory, the 1NC, Critics of the social contract, or a presentation practicum. Elective are also going really well, students like the various options that are conducive to their styles of debate. After electives, students headed to their article groups. It seems as though they were all prepared and still deriving cards from the articles they read. After article groups students were treated to a very special lecture on preparation by Mr. Timmons and Mr. Wolfish. The lecture was both informative and motivational. After the elective students have a choice to attend a couple of different demonstration debates: A performance by Katherine (aff) and Shane (neg) on the eminent domain topic, or a critical round by Nathan (aff) and Laura (neg). Both debates should be competitive, friendly and intelligent!

Week Two and the fun gets intense

Students were reminded today how nice it feels to sleep in. Due to religious observances and a stressful week the institute allowed a free morning from 9-12.  Students in our lab could be found doing laundry, working on cases with instructors, sleeping, or eating breakfast at Bruce Hall. After a stress-free morning students headed to article group, where Paul told us he found every card imaginable for the negative. After article group students headed to elective one and elective two. Our students split up the electives they attended so they can share notes. After the electives we had a pizza party, boy does Texas have good pizza.  Lab time concluded our day, with practice rounds, edited cases, a couple drills and some deep discussions! Mr. Beard convinced Andrew to run a “skurry negative” Andrew is VERY excited to write it – in claim, data, warrant, impact form of course! Today represented both a relaxed and productive day!

WEEK ONE IS OVER? Say it ain't so...

 

 

It's already Saturday night and all eight of our students have amazing work ethic and dedication! Touche! The morning started out with riveting lectures; either rebuttals II with the esteemed Steff and Tanya or weighing with the TOC champ David. Then it was off to drill labs, our lab personally read a case then gave the students a couple minutes to prepare rebuttals/weighing. They were attentive and did a superb job! Next was an international relations theory lecture by Mr. Wolfish, complete with diagrams and funny jokes. After lunch we had lab. In lab we went of the process of writing a syllogism, Paul had a really good idea which he will bust out sometime tomorrow! Then we practiced on how to make our cases unbeatable. Let's just say we now have an eight step system, the other labs should be skurred. After we collectively developed the "EIGHT STEP SYSTEM" we went to the computer lab to put our plan into action! Then it was time for article group. Dinner was especially tasty tonight,  I personally enjoyed a slice of cheese pizza, which tasted as if it was prepared by four star Italian chefs, followed by a self-made ice cream cone. It was Bon Apatite for our lab! Then it was a demonstration debate between David (aff) and Tanya (neg) on the camp topic (healthcare). I have to say, it was AMAZING. They both acted with professionalism, ethics and intelligence. I have been thinking about the round for over an hour an I still can’t decide who won! It was a really educational round. Student now have a much better idea of how to present the arguments in there cases and rebuttal speeches. Then we had lab where students chose which electives they wanted to attend tomorrow. Alls well in the BD lab.

Fun Friday!

The final draft of case one was due this morning. After handing them in -- punctually I might add -- students were relieved and ready to get started on the other cases. They started out with a lecture on presentation/vocal theory where they learned the art of persuasion. Instructors and students agreed that vocal techniques are frequently overlooked in the debate rounds. After the lab, we had a lab rotation to practice the new vocal tips. A lab rotation is when groups switch lab leaders so everyone gets a chance to learn from all the instructors. We put into practice the different skills we learned, such as the “pen drill.”   Then we had a group practice debate in lab. Everyone is improving a lot! Seif gave an extremely good 1AR that impressed everyone! Lunch today featured the special of chicken fajitas, complete with a number of sides – including guacamole! After enjoying our protein, it was off to the library and computer labs for more research. The set up of library time is unique because it allows all students to work with whichever instructor they want! I think its really helpful to learn from all the different debate prodigies. After dinner tonight students have a couple different choices for activities: 1. A demonstration debate between Josh and Shane, moderated by the lovely Laura. 2. The DVD of the 2003 Nationals final round moderated by Steffany and Gary. 3. Work on cases in the computer lab with Tanya. 4. Work on cases in the Maple Lobby with Ajay. 4. Play basketball with the skilled Matt and Nathan!

 

When I say BEST you say LAB!

The day started out like any other, breakfast at Bruce. Personally, I enjoyed the home made Belgian waffle, warm syrup, and crispy bacon. Novice instructor Beena Koshy had an ice cream sandwich in addition to her eggs. Our students were then treated to a rebuttal lecture, eloquently delivered by Dr. Robinson. Following the lecture, our lab met at the high-tech Chilton building to continue our research on the topic. Then it was off to article group where students minds were fed and esoteric articles were made easier. Lunch went well, thankfully there was no rain storm today. After lunch we headed to the five star library, conveniently located near Bruce Hall. At the library we had more focused research conducive to the positions students were assigned. Philosopher extraordinaire, Nathan Foell then delivered a compelling lecture regarding distributive justice. It was then back to Bruce for dinner. After dinner we met for lab. Lab started with a mini-extemp debate. It was an uphill battle for the negative, only having three people, while the affirmative team had five! During the debate we noticed our students flows are nearly impeccable now! Rachel's persuasion and confidence is very impressive, she is a natural born orator!

Another great day!

Today was another exceptional day in the Duby/Beard/Mullins lab. We worked hard deciphering various positions that students will create. During our research at the library students found it difficult to think of a cohesive position to create. In reaction to that, the lab leaders collaborated and decided to assign each individual a different and diverse position to write tonight. So as a lab we came up with a myriad of different positions it was an overall fun time. Greg decided that he wanted to solve for AIDS, what a noble goal by a persuasive man! We look forward to tomorrow, hopefully there won't be another rain storm.

Day Two!

            Students were both excited and ready to learn today! They started out the day with a plethora of options of breakfast at the Bruce Dinning Hall. Then it was off to two lectures. In the first they had the option of either logic or burden theory followed by a tailored casing lecture. Then it was time for lunch. After lunch students attended article groups where they dove into discussions on the article they had read for an assignment, it seems as though most students are enjoying this type of article group. Our lab was next, we discussed various negative positions in lab. Seif discovered one he seems very excited to start working on! After an intense positional discussion, we worked on flowing drills. Liz read a case very fast, as students tried to flow. Everyone was very surprised at how fast Liz could read, especially Liz! Afterward we discussed easier ways to flow, such as advanced short hand and cross ex tactics. After lab comes a lovely ice-cream social followed by a movie of the campers choice! Day two is definitely another success! We would like to wish a happy July 4th to everyone!

BD Lab

            Today was the ideal day for debate camp. We had our first lab this morning and we were introduced to nine very intelligent, hard-working and funny debaters. We started off lab with an ice breaker playing two truths and a lie. After the introductions were made we asked the students to talk a little bit about their debate experience and future goals in order to gage the focus of our lab. Then we dove right into topic analysis. The students were treated to a lovely topic lecture last night so we experienced in more depth the topic, positions, and pending questions. All the students were very active and sincere about the positions they advocated. After lab students attended Bruce Hall for an exceptional lunch, featuring an option of my personal favorite, the cookie cone! After they were re-fueled from lunch students attended a phenomenal research lecture given by three prestigious educators and educates. Then they continued working hard heading to article group where they used their knowledge from the lecture in order to talk about assigned articles to help with card cutting in general and for the topic. It was back to a short lab after this article group. The purpose of this lab was two-fold, we continued with our topic analysis, and also focused on the upcoming demonstration debate and what our students should look for when flowing the round. After lab students attended a lecture on casing when they learned the fundamentals of how to write solid cases. Then it was back to Bruce Hall for some baked succulent chicken and other assorted goodies. Followed by dinner, the camps first demonstration debate occurred between Matt Levinson and myself. It was a close, humorous and persuasive round. We debated the previous nationals topic: In matters of collecting military intelligence, the ends justify the means. There was much discussion during the rounds prep time and afterward of what we did well and what was done not so well. Then Mr. Timmons and Beena Koshy along with other staff members helped students learn to apply good tactics to their future debating on any topic. Then our students returned to lab where we discussed in depth the round. Students had many questions and all agreed the round was close. So lab is going pretty well and the students seem to be enjoying lab/lectures/debates while simultaneously having a great time, especially when Mr. Beard gives them gum in lab!

Perry Beard

My name is Perry Beard, and I am the debate coach at Cinco Ranch High School inKaty, Texas in suburban Houston. I have been coaching debate professionally since1996 and a classroom teacher since 1997. As a classroom teacher who coaches debate,my focus to teach kids how to think critically, work with tenacity, and debate withintegrity. It is my goal that my students come away from my tutelage with apositive outlook on the activity and that they continue their success well afterthey have left camp far behind. Since I started the debate program at Cinco Ranch in 2000, my students have achieveda few well-earned honors. I have qualified numerous students to the NationalForensic League national tournament, the Texas Forensic Association statetournament, and one of my students won the 5A UIL Lincoln-Douglas State Championship in 2006. On a personal note, I am a huge Astros fan, a lover of very strong coffee, and thedevoted husband and father of the best wife and kids in the whole wide world!

Samuel Duby

Sam Duby debated for four years at Greenhill in Addison,TX. During his senior year, Sam was the champion of The Greenhill Round Robin and The St. Marks Heart of Texas Invitational. In addition to acquiring 6 TOC Bids, he received speaker awards at St. Marks (3rd), The Greenhill Round Robin (1st) and The TOC (5th). He concluded his debate career by placing 3rd at the Tournament of Champions. Sam is the current assistant coach at Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark, New Jersey. In 2005, Sam helped Arthur L. Johnson qualify its first ever student to the Tournament of Champions. Sam will a senior at Washington University in St. Louis where he is majoring in finance.

Liz Mullins

My name is Liz Mullins. I just ended my high-school debate career for Sacred Heart when I placed second at the national tournament. I learned a lot about debate when I attended UNT last year. While I have never worked at a debate camp, the past three years I have worked at day camps teaching swimming lessons and life guarding. In my debate career I qualified to all three national tournaments, was Massachusetts StateChampion, and New England District Champion. I will continue my debate career in college at Western Kentucky University. I look forward to helping others learn and learning a lot myself in these coming weeks.