This has been a persistent issue, and has caused three different advisers to resign, said Price.
It was more like two, said North’s debate team captain Edward Ding
The TAB’s Jenna Fisher has the both the scoop and the rebuttal.
Crazy Divers: Men be like...
drivers man be like
It too bad that the Debate team could not follow the rules. Maybe they need to realize that there are rules to follow when going off campus. Kudos to Jen Price and Jonathan Basset. The Athletic Department can seem to get their athletes to follow the rules – maybe they need to get one of their Coaches to work with the Debate team.
I think that 3 advisers quitting says it all.
The whole idea of Jen Price trying to reason with the debate team reminded me of this.
I’m still not certain what the essence or implication of “leaving school without correct procedures” means. I was on the debate team at the old Newton High School back in the late 50’s and the only time we left campus was to go debate another high school in some surrounding community. My senior year, the national debate topic was “should” (Red) China be admitted to the UN. Our side said it should be admitted and we debated Brookline High on the issue. They had better debaters, but we had, I think, the stronger argument. I think the debate ended on points almost in a tie.
I don’t know the details, but guessing there is some protocol for a group leaving the school (when, how, who, etc) that was not followed. My son is in sports at North, and admittedly the rides to away games are pretty well organized beforehand with buses and such- so I’m not sure what the differences here are. If someone could enlighten us as to details, I for one would be interested to know.
Bob, now I’m intrigued: what became of the UN issue after the debate? Did Red China get in? 😉
Hi guys, writing as a former captain of the debate team (NNHS ’13) I’m offended by the tone of some of the comments here, by the tone of the TAB article, and by Dr. Price’s comments. We have struggled for years to find a faculty member willing to commit to one hour and a half meeting once a week, which the school mandates must be attended by an adult. This has been the ‘persistent issue’ with the debate team, not the latest bout of paperwork. The story is hardly ever as simple as “3 advisers quitting says it all” – does it even matter why they quit? During my tenure at North, the debate team was full of excellent, passionate students who just wanted to talk politics, yet no teacher was willing to give us an hour and a half of his time every week.
The difference, Doug, between sports and debate: the administration would never let the basketball or football programs go coachless for 5 years in a row. They would hire a coach. Debate has been neglected by contrast.
Greg, why post the Monty Python skit? Feels belittling.
The advisors quit because the Debate team could not follow the rules. Maybe instead of debating every point – the debate team should learn to follow the rules.
Letting one single news story published in a local paper in which the school, which obviously looks to try to defend its own academic reputation and that of its teachers, is the most extensively quoted source, and, that notwithstanding in which the other side of the story, or the student’s is never really told to a real extent outside of isolated quotations that were obviously tailored to make the students look silly, letting that sort of news sway your opinion on something is misguided and biased.
Let’s think real here. We’re talking about high school students that, from my knowledge, have been mandated to follow a school procedure that is not usually put on students, and that as far as I know, I’ve never heard of had to have been followed by other academic clubs, as a member of the Newton community. And even then, proper protocols are usually carried by the adults in charge, not the students in question because that’s what right and expected. If you want a student to do upper management and expect it to be perfect then there’s a problem.
So if the sixteen and seventeen year old high school students are messing up, that should be expected. But if the school allows to happen on three separate occasions because the school was never willing to provide an adult that could commit to helping the team, and the only response is to repeatedly condemn these students, these sixteen year olds who have all the pressures of countless AP classes and other extracurriculars and life outside the routine, then I think there’s something to be said about the schools’ actual commitment and attitude.
And to be honest, I find cherry picking quotes from a newspaper where the kid probably didn’t know what he was doing when he was being interviewed, and openly making fun of them, like picking on a sixteen year old who can’t even defend himself is kind of low.
And let’s be honest again. The athletic department probably is the one that manages forms and makes sure that everything’s done. There’s a difference between school run institutions and student run institutions like Jordan says.
Jordan, no question the sports analogy is apples- oranges. I only mentioned it as my only point of reference, and admittedly don’t know intimately the organizational challenges of other clubs and activities.
I redirect my comment to focus on the part about wanting to know what actually happened, as all the reporting we see has been fuzzy. My interest lies as an NNHS parent (outside of the fact that my son has so far been involved the more established sports institutions), and how this might affect any other activities within the school he may involve himself in.
I won’t speak for Greg on the video, but I saw it as potentially something you can use to make fun of Dr. Price (This isn’t Argument, this is Abuse!), but is more likely a very Pythonesque humorous non-sequitur.
Jordan Ecker — thank you for standing up for the NNHS Debate Team. As for those who would compliment the Administration or look the other way when it plainly admits its own failure in supporting and ensuring the success of the Debate Team, please think again.
The NNHS Debate Team has a great history — past members are among the school’s brightest, most creative and innovative alumi. If Jordan’s report is correct, that the Team had no permanent coach for the last few years, then the School’s own administration set the course for this final conflict. Suspension is not the answer just as nominating a non-comitted, probably already over-worked, Department Chair to guide the team was not a good idea.
NNHS can do better and I look forward to news that the School has revisited this situation, chosen to to take the responsible course by (a) encouraging all Debate Team members to return to the Team, (b) assuring, through means other than suspending the Team, their compliance with clearly articulated (written) rules, and (c) provided a faculty adviser who can handle the Team’s success over the long haul.