NEW YORK CITY URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

2015  YEAR IN  REVIEW


Wishing you good times, good cheer, and a memorable new year.

All of us at the New York City Urban Debate League wish to thank you for your
support in 2015.  We hope you enjoy this newsletter which highlights some of our memorable events of 2015.


Sincerely,
The New York City Urban Debate League
[email protected]
917-444-5243


January 2015 Highlights

Mayor
Mayor Visits NYC Urban Debate League!

We thank the Mayor of New York City for kicking off the 2015 Debate Season by visiting our January 10th Tournament at Brooklyn Technical High School!  So many of our debaters are interested in careers in government, law, public service, and advocacy and so it was so inspiring for everyone to listen to the Mayor's remarks during our Opening Ceremony and have the opportunity to speak and take pictures with Mayor de Blasio after his presentation!  
Aubrey
NYCUDL Program Director Aubrey Semple Wins Top After School Educator Award

We celebrate our Program Director, Aubrey Semple who was awarded with one of the city's top after school awards!  Each year the Partnership for After School Education (PASE) honors five of "New York City's most innovative and effective community educators." This year, Aubrey Semple was selected for his exemplary work with the NYC Urban Debate League! Aubrey will be honored in front of over 500 city leaders from government, business, education, advocacy, philanthropy and youth development! Click here to learn more. "The PASEsetter Awards were the first, and remain the only, event of their kind in the afterschool field," according to Fern Khan, Dean Emerita, Division of Continuing Education at Bank Street College. "Each year we look forward with excitement to expressing our thanks to afterschool educators for their tireless efforts, to recognizing their critical importance to the families and communities they serve, and to reaffirming our collective commitment to New York City's children." 
MSQI
MSQI-NYCUDL Partnership Video

Forget Netflix! You have to check out this incredible and inspiring video about our partnership with the Middle School Quality Initiative to bring debate to NYC middle schools!

Video Link 
Lexington
Brown Rudnick Travel Team Wins Top Awards in Massachusetts

The Brown Rudnick Travel Team attended the 2015 Lexington Winter Invitational at Lexington High School in Massachusetts. Hundreds of competitors for all across the US, from Maryland, Florida, Texas, California to name a few competed at the prestigious national invitational. 

Our PF and Policy UDL schools, Maspeth, ACORN Community and Brooklyn Technical High School delivered great performances as all schools had teams finishing the tournament with winning records, including Brooklyn Technical HS (Dante DeBlasio/Sam Eluto) finishing as Octafinalists, 1 ballot shy of receiving their 2nd bid to the National Tournament of Champions. Dante DeBlasio also finished as 9th speaker of the Varsity Policy Debate Division.

February 2015 Highlights


debate.nyc
Introducing Our New Website... DEBATE.NYC!

This week we celebrate our new website ... www.debate.nyc!  Huge thank you to Adrian Uribarri who was a college debater at the University of Florida and helped us get started on WordPress!  We cannot express how thankful we are! And definitely let us know any feedback as we continuously improve on our website to provide the best educational opportunities for all our students!

radio
NYCUDL Featured on Debate Talk Show

Parliamentary Debate is the largest high school and college debate event in the world and now the largest collegiate debate event in the United States. Today, the New York City Urban Debate League has one of the largest middle school parliamentary debate leagues in the country and has supported additional parliamentary debate leagues across the State of New York.  And so we were honored to be invited by Professor Llano, Director of Debate at St. John's University as a guest on his radio show on urban debate, debate in New York City and parliamentary debate. 

Click here to learn more! 
harvard
Brown Rudnick Travel Team Wins Big at Harvard University

For the past several years, NYC Debate Teams have dominated the Harvard University Debate Invitational which is one of the largest and most competitive debate tournaments in the nation. Last year, NYC Debate Teams dominated the tournament and won the most awards of any region in the country.  Learn more.  This year was no exception as our teams also dominated the tournament! Learn more. And NYCUDL school, Brooklyn Tech's team of Sam Eluto and Dante DeBlasio received their second bid as one of the tournament's top teams (undefeated in preliminary rounds) to qualify to the Tournament of Champions! 

March 2015 Highlights

NY Daily News
NYCUDL State Champions Featured in the NY Times and NY Daily News!

Last weekend the New York State Debate Championships was hosted at Stuyvesant High School.  The top debate teams from across New York competed in every national debate event including policy debate, public forum debate and parliamentary debate. Congratulations to our NYC debaters who won top awards in every division!  Special shout outs to Brooklyn Tech High School which swept Novice, Junior Varsity and Varsity divisions and their top team of Dante de Blasio and Sam Eluto were featured in the New York Times and the New York Daily News.

Click here for the New York Times article!

Click here for the New York Daily News article!
Canada
United States Versus Canada Exhibition Debate

On March 9th, we host an exhibition high school parliamentary debate round and workshop with a Parliamentary Debate Collegiate Team from Canada.  All NYC parliamentary debaters invited to attend!  Snacks, food, fun, workshops, debates and see who wins... USA or Canada!  

Brown Rudnick Travel Team Wins Big at the Westchester Classic

Friday, Saturday and Sunday - New York City high school and middle school debate teams competed at the Westchester Classic Invitational in Shrub Oak, NY.  For the Brown Rudnick High School Travel Team, this was the last regular travel tournament before the national championships. For our middle schools, this was some schools' first overnight tournament!  But whatever the grade level - the results were the same - NYC debate teams won the majority of the awards at the tournament! 40 students returned to NYC with trophies and awards in hand! 
 

KOREA
New York City & Korea Debate Exchange! 

On March 21 and 22 we hosted the Debate Champions of Korea for a two day debate exchange of exhibition debates and debate workshops with NYC debaters in parliamentary debate.  NYC and Korean debaters had the opportunity to learn and practice each other's debate styles of parliamentary debate. 

Click here to learn more.
Girls Debate
Girls Debate League Tournament

In March we celebrate Women's History Month. Our Spring Girls Debate League Tournament was on the topic of the Equal Rights Amendment in partnership with the Bella Azbug Leadership Institute at Hunter College. The day included workshops, panels, guest speakers and a two round debate tournament - all ages and both debate formats of public forum debate and parliamentary debate. Click here for complete tournament results!  

COLUMBIA
Columbia University Hosts Impact of Urban Debate Panel

Columbia University will be hosting us on Wednesday for a lecture on the impact of Urban Debate. In the past several years the New York City Urban Debate League has had huge impacts at Columbia from workshops, tournaments, to several of our top debaters receiving full scholarships, partnering with the Columbia University Debate Team, and engaging Columbia University students. 


April 2015 Highlights

NAUDL
National Urban Debate Championships

The Urban Debate League movement has revolutionized debate in the United States. Previous to urban debate leagues, debate was limited to high schools that could afford debate teams, college debate teams, and a very select community. The urban debate league movement revolutionized debate in America with a historical mission that debate should be accessible to ALL - elementary, middle school, high school, college and beyond. Each year the National Association of Urban Debate League's National Championships hosts the National Urban Debate League Championships! 

KIRKLAND ELLIS
Kirkland & Ellis National Qualifiers!

Thank you to Kirkland and Ellis for hosting our annual national qualifier to select the top teams to compete at the national debate championships.  Kirkland and Ellis is a longtime supporter of the debate league and so many of its attorneys are former high school and college debaters! 

DAVID BUDINGER
DAVID'S DEBATES!
THE NEW YORK CITY NATIONAL QUALIFIER FOR POLICY DEBATE

This year we kick off our annual David's Debates!  The top two NYCUDL policy teams in the city advance to the National Association of Urban Debate League's National Championships! Thank you to the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues and David Budinger for providing full scholarships for our top two teams to attend! 

Rhetoric in the Ring
Rhetoric in the Ring!

IDEAS City occurs every two years to celebrate ideas, art, culture and rhetoric. The NYC Urban Debate League has been invited to host a series of public debates on May 30th in a boxing ring to demonstrate the importance of rhetoric, public speaking, advocacy, argument, and changing the world with new ideas and public policy proposals.  


May 2015 Highlights

SUMMER DEBATE
Summer Debate Camp Applications Open! 

The New York City Urban Debate League hosts the largest and longest summer debate program in the nation with debate camp opportunities from the beginning of summer to the end of summer.

Click here to learn more and watch our Summer Debate Camp Video!
 


June 2015 Highlights

#2 IN THE NATION!

Urban Debate history was made last week when the Institute for Collaborative Education reached Semifinals in Public Forum Debate at the National Speech and Debate Championships in Dallas, Texas.  The Institute for Collaborative Education also won the Second Place Top Speaker Award!  Huge shout outs to all our other participating schools including Maspeth High School, Hunters Point Community School, Bronx Science, Stuyvesant High School, and many other NYC schools that qualified for the National Championships. The National Speech and Debate Championships is the largest academic competition in the world. To give you a general sense of how large the tournament is - you can combine all the next largest academic national championships like the National Spelling Bee and the National Chess Championships - and the National Debate and Speech Championships would still be the largest academic tournament! And so a huge congratulations to the Institute for Collaborative Education as well as all our schools that qualified and competed at the National Championships.  

NAUDL
URBAN DEBATE NATIONAL CONFERENCE

The first week of June featured the annual Urban Debate League Directors and Staff Conference in Chicago, Illinois. The week featured meetings, workshops and best practices from across over 20 urban debate leagues across the nation. 

July 2015 Highlights

COLUMBIA
Harlem Debate Institute,
Columbia University

The Harlem Debate Institute (HDI) takes advantage of the incredible academic, artistic, and political community of Harlem from top colleges to top libraries to top cultural institutions to offer a summer debate camp for all ages.  Students study with some of the great debaters, great debate coaches, and great debate teachers of today.  And that is just the beginning!  Students continue debate throughout the school year with weekly practices and monthly tournaments in the Harlem Debate League and the New York City Debate League.  

 

borough hall
Brooklyn Debate Institute

The Brooklyn Debate League is year round with monthly debate tournaments during the school year and the Brooklyn Debate Institute (BKDI) during the summer. Brooklyn is home to more debate teams than any other borough of New York City.  In fact, Brooklyn is home to the top speaker in the nation and the New York State Champion. Students at the Brooklyn Debate Institute prepare for the upcoming year's debates in the Brooklyn Debate League and the New York City Debate League.  The Brooklyn Debate Institute (BKDI) culminates with a Debate Tournament at the end of the debate camp featuring trophies, awards and prizes!

Hunter_College
Manhattan Middle School Debate Institute,
Hunter College

The Manhattan Debate Institute (MDI) is our largest and longest summer debate institute. The Debate Camp is hosted by our Manhattan Debate League and staffed by New York's top middle school and high school debate coaches, teachers, alumni and debaters. Tracks are available for beginners as well as advanced debaters. Skills include public speaking, cross examination, critical thinking, research, argumentative writing, public forum debate, and policy debate. Subjects include the current policy debate resolution, philosophy, political science, critical theory, economics, history, geography, international politics and more. Students will gain a competitive edge for the upcoming debate season in the Manhattan Debate League and the New York City Debate League.

Silberman
Manhattan High School Debate Institute,
Silberman Graduate School

The High School Debate Institute is open to high school debaters in public forum debate and policy debate. Students can be in any level of high school debate from beginner to varsity.  The High School Debate Institute is focused on in depth skill building in numerous practice debates as well as a particular focus on research. Thanks to our partnership with Hunter College, students will have full access to library, computer and internet resources to maximize debate research opportunities.  In policy debate students will work in small labs to prepare files to prepare on the annual debate topic. In public forum debate, students will be researching and writing on the topic areas of the September/October public forum debate resolution.  
HUNTER
Elementary School Manhattan Debate Institute,
Hunter College
 
The New York City Urban Debate League founded the nation's first elementary school debate institute. The Debate Camp is staffed by New York's top middle school and high school debate coaches, teachers, alumni and debaters.  Skills include public speaking, cross examination, critical thinking, research, argumentative writing, public forum debate, and policy debate. Subjects include the current policy debate resolution, philosophy, political science, critical theory, economics, history, geography, international politics and more. Students will gain a competitive edge for the upcoming debate season.

Click here to learn more.

August 2015 Highlights

MSQI
Middle School Quality Initiative Debate Institute

The New York City Urban Debate League and the New York City Department of Education partnered up to bring curricular debate and after school debate programs to over 100 New York City middle schools to close the achievement gap.  The MSQI debate initiative uses an evidence based argumentation curriculum to increase student literacy, writing, public speaking, and critical thinking skills.  The NYCUDL team provides schools with on site teacher training, debate resources, workshops, and monthly debate opportunities for MSQI students. Preliminary results show substantial gains in literacy for students participating in debate versus their peers who do not participate in debate. This summer will be our first debate camp for MSQI teachers and students!  

Click here to learn more.
MSQI
Brooklyn MSQI Summer Debate Initiative in the News!
 
The Middle School Quality Initiative (MSQI) Debate program, MS 50, Brooklyn Debate League, and New York City Urban Debate League were featured in the Greenpoint Gazette last week. According to the article, "The MS 50 summer debate institute was designed to use the benefits of debate to combat the negative effects of summer reading loss. Middle School teachers from around NYC also attended a "coaches training" at the MS 50 debate institute, learning the nuts and bolts of starting a competitive debate team from NYCUDL Program Director Aubrey Semple." 

For full article click here.
Maspeth
Queens Debate Institute,
Maspeth High School

 
The Queens Debate Institute (QDI) is located at Maspeth High School.  Like our other debate institutes, QDI's greatest strengths are derived from the community.  Our partnerships with local Queens colleges such as St. John's University which has one of the nation's leading debate programs as well as other college debate teams - bring some of the greatest debate instruction and coaching.  QDI offers all forms of debate and is the perfect place for debaters to jump start the upcoming debate season!  

Crowley
Maspeth High School's Championship Team Featured in the Queens Chronicle

The Maspeth High Debate is ranked as one of the top public forum debate teams in the city and has won numerous tournaments including representing New York City at the National Debate Coaches Association National Championships Tournament. Senior Arielle Gallegos says, "Debate helped me to become very confident and skilled with public speaking," and senior Rocky Sanabria says, "Competing in debate tournaments helped me to understand popular issues and current events on a much more nuanced and academic level." This past school year, Maspeth's Victoria Panata and Arielle Gallegos won the 2015 Citi Foundation HS Championships in Public Forum and went on to compete in the prestigious National Debate Coaches Association (NDCA) National Championships held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jordy Portugal, a seasoned UDL Public Forum debater and Maspeth's Debate Team Captain, graduated high school with an admission and full scholarship to Columbia University; he attributes much of his acceptance to his history in debate.  

Fox News
Middle School Debaters on Television!

NYCUDL middle school debaters were invited to Fox News' Greg Gutfeld Show to comment on the first Republican Presidential Debate!

Click here for the video!

September 2015 Highlights

erika marte
Alumni Spotlight! Alumni Returning to the Classroom as Teachers!
 
Erika Marte, Osvaldo Adames, and Andrew Geathers are among our alumni who are now returning to the classroom - not as students - but as school teachers. From the Bronx to Brooklyn to Thailand to India to Spain - our alumni are teaching across New York City and the world!

fox news
NYC Great Debaters on National Television Again!
 
We were humbled to be invited again on Fox New's The Greg Gutfeld Show to critique the second Republican Presidential Debate! Thank you to debaters from Hunters Point Community School, PS 161, Success Academy, and North Star Academy for participating on the Show.


white house
NYCUDL Alumni at the White House Again!

Over the years several NYC debaters have been invited and honored to the White House including Tyler Anderson (ACORN Academy), Starr Arroyo (Bronx Law), Yaira Brito (Bronx Law), and Ashley Meija (Bronx Law), as well as NYC debate coaches including Jonathon McIntosh (KIPP Academy) and Erik Fogel (Bronx Law). This year Isabella Klingoffer who has also served as our summer debate institute instructor was honored with a six month fellowship at the White House to work in speechwriting, communications, and public policy. Talk about debate skills at work!


October 2015 Highlights

MACQUAIRE
Macquaire Invitational and Debate Fundraiser!

We are so excited to announce our second Macquaire Debate Invitational! Thank you to Macquaire which has been an incredible supporter of the New York City Urban Debate League and our city's Great Debaters. The city's top middle school debate teams are invited on October 22nd for a Championships Debate Night! Debates, food, raffles, prizes, and more! And afterwards Macquaire is hosting a fundraiser to support our Great Debaters!

Debate Topics for Macquaire Debate Night!
 
Parliamentary Debate Topic
The economic benefits of raising the minimum wage outweigh the economic risks.

Public Forum Debate Topic
On balance, economic globalization benefits worldwide poverty reduction.

NYC Debaters Takes Center Stage

Shout outs to PS 161's Herbert Espinal who was selected as Master of Ceremonies for the Catalog for Giving's Urban Heroes Gala. The NYC Urban Debate League was honored along with ten other youth nonprofit organizations!   Herbert took the stage in front of hundreds of supporters of debate and led the evening's speakers and events! Congratulations to Herbert Espinal and Coach Tyler Beattie of PS 161!  Thank you to the Catalog for Giving for supporting New York City's Great Debaters! 

In Tech
"Debate Pays Dividends" News Article!

"DEBATE PAYS DIVIDENDS" NEWS ARTICLE 

"Not being afraid to take a risk academically and to speak your mind is a skill you will take with you for the rest of your lives, no matter where your paths take you," 
 
- Mr. James O'Toole, Assistant Principal, IN-Tech Academy Middle School

In Tech Academy's Debate Team was featured in the press this week in a fantastic article about the IN Tech Academy Debate Team, MSQI Debate Program, and the NYC Urban Debate League!  IN Tech Academy's Team has grown from a handful of students to over 50 students this year!  

Brooklyn Tech
Brooklyn Tech Wins 2nd Place Overall and Bid to Tournament of Champions!

Congratulations to Brooklyn Tech's Karease Quashie and Olivia Cherry who reached the FINALS of the NYC Debate Invitational - one of the largest and most prestigious tournaments of the country, won 2ND PLACE out of 59 teams, and received a bid to the Tournament of Champions in Kentucky! Congratulations to ACORN Community HS for reaching the Octofinals! And congratulations to everyone for incredible participation and winning top team and speaker awards! 


November 2015 Highlights

Fox News
NYC Debaters on Fox News Again!

Shout outs to our middle school debaters who were invited back on Fox News' Greg Gutfeld Show to analyze this week's Republican debate! Congratulations to Feiry Guaba (PS 161), Chase Earland (Harlem Success Academy), Taralina Vasquez (MS 50), Janelis Estrella (MS 50), and Joelle Garcia (Debate Club)!  Our debaters were featured on the show three times this year....
 


December 2015 Highlights

Brooklyn Lab
Brooklyn Lab Debate Team Featured in the News!

Shout outs to the Brooklyn Lab School, a new public charter high school in Brooklyn. Founded by Eric Tucker (former debater), led by Principal McIntosh (former debater and award winning NYCUDL Debate Coach), and coached by Ms. Milam (former debater and award winning debate coach) - the school is creating incredible opportunities for Brooklyn youth.  "The Brooklyn LAB debate team beat out high school students with an overall first-place win at a Nov. 21 tournament hosted by the NYC Urban Debate League. Two students, Morgan Murchison and Kumar Wise, secured third-place overall in the tournament!" 

Click here for full article!
Tuna
In dedication to the world's debate coach
Dr. Alfred C. "Tuna" Snider
1950-2015

"Each of us is a part of this story. Each of us is a part of a better future. Each argument is a small particle of an edifice that might lead to lasting and important changes. My greatest hope is that my work can be a small part of this greater effort. I see debate growing and prospering around the world. The time seems right to strike some sparks wherever we can in the hope that it will create additional light. Do your best and trust yourself."

-Alfred Charles Snider, SPARKING THE DEBATE, 2014

We dedicate our newsletter this week to Dr. Alfred C. "Tuna" Snider, the University of Vermont's debate team director and international debate legend, who passed on Friday, Dec. 11. Dr. Snider has been the world's debate coach. He devoted his life to traveling the world (for over 40 years), teaching debate in any country (over 45 countries) to any age group, making debate resources available free for all (debate websites, debate radio, debate television, debate books, debate podcasts, debate blogs), and empowering generations to make the world a better place through debate, discussion, and advocacy. 

In the 8th grade, Alfred Snider was kicked out of chorus. He had to choose his last class for the day in school and so he chose debate class. Since then Alfred Snider was hooked on debate and the world of debate hooked on Dr. Alfred "Tuna" Snider. The New York Times in 2001 reported that he is universally known as "Tuna", "a nickname he acquired in a high school debate round about organized crime because of his resemblance to a Chicago Mafia figure." "World of Debating Grows and Vermont is its Lab," New York Times, August 9th 2001. Born in California, Snider attended Brown University, Emerson College and the University of Kansas. He has been the Edwin W. Lawrence Professor of Forensics at the University of Vermont since 1982.  Lifelong debater, coach, teacher, student, debate ambassador, author - Dr. Snider is one of the world's most respected debate ambassadors.