Chalk up one for the kids
By Chris Shott
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
The debating team of Brooksby Village hosted its fifth annual competition this spring against the debating team of the Waring School of Beverly.
Despite the gallant efforts of veteran debaters Jerry Levy and Nancy Gillett of Brooksby, Waring School students Nick Geron and Hilary Sheratt recorded a decisive victory in a formal debate held in the campus chapel. The real winners, however, were those who watched the debate and believe in the mutual benefits of bridging the generation gap.
‘Two sides to every question’
“I’m an old-time educator and I appreciate the fact that we have exposed these youngsters to the fact that there are two sides to every question,” said Levy, who has lived at Brooksby since it opened seven years ago. “They need to learn to listen to the other side of issues and understand there are unintended ramifications in every position they take.”
Resolution worth debating
The stated resolution of this year’s debate was: “That participating in multinational diplomatic efforts is beneficial to U.S. interests.” By virtue of a coin flip, the students assumed the “pro” position, while the Brooksby debaters were assigned the “anti” position.
The debate format was formal and crisply executed. Both sides used two debaters, all of whom offered four-minute opening speeches, two-minute follow-up orations, and one-minute closing presentations. In between, crossfire segments were held, during which debaters were permitted to question opponents on points made during the debate. To ensure brevity, other Waring School students served as timekeepers.
In his remarks, Geron essentially stressed the time-proven positive results of diplomacy, not only in ensuring peace in the world, but also in fostering economic objectives. Levy basically countered by quoting Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of the U.S., that effective diplomacy requires “clarity of purpose” and that diplomacy is most effective when it follows successful military endeavors.