As spring draws near for the sophomores, so do debates. The debate unit is covered in every sophomore English class and is always something to look forward to.

Mr. Sandstrom has been going through the many stages of debate prep with his classes for the past few weeks. “We haven’t even picked out topics yet; we need to go over concessions and then we will be ready to go” Sandstrom said. For his class, mock debates are scheduled for the very end of this week. The mock debate is a practice with a more lighthearted topic where the students don’t have to dress up. Sandstrom says that popular topics for the mock debates include things like PS4 vs. Xbox or Chevy vs. Ford. The mock debate is a very fun way to prepare for the real debate with less pressure.

As for the real debate, there are always topics that teachers tell students to avoid. Whether too controversial or just plain boring, these topics don’t get to be chosen. “We avoid abortion since most of it is religion based. I also urge them to stay away from the death penalty and school uniforms because they are so common” said Sandstrom. Some debaters also get very argumentative with one another. Sandstrom has tried to resolve the problem by explaining to the students that they are not debating against each other personally, but they are debating their point on the topic.

Past debater Emily Hamacher ‘15 expressed her fond memories from this unit. “Our real debate was on school uniforms, which was kind of boring but the unit itself was fun” Hamacher said. She also talked about being much less nervous standing up and speaking in front of a class for this unit in particular, than for regular speeches. Hamacher said that her group struggled most with being able to properly attack their opponents arguments and recommended that students “really be prepared for what your opposing team may throw at you.”

Debates promise to give an eventful few weeks to both the sophomores and their English teachers.