On December 19, 2018, Edgemont’s 4th and 5th Grade Electric Debate team
faced Lacordaire Academy’s debate team. The teams debated two issues
that have an effect on young people’s lives: Should grades be eliminated
in K-12 education and should the voting age be lowered to 16?
Edgemont won the first round as team members argued that grades only
serve to build pressure, unfair comparisons, labels and endless tracks.
Edgemont's arguments about unhealthy competition, sorting and selecting
students, college entrance exams and the value of interviews and
performance assessments must have struck a chord with the judges as they
chose Edgemont's nine students as the winners of round one.
Round two went to Lacordaire although Edgemont’s team gave compelling
arguments for keeping the voting age at eighteen. Lacordaire spoke about
taxation without representation, sixteen year-olds being able to drive,
rising costs of college tuition and lawmakers affecting school safety.
The judges were impressed with Lacordaire’s performance and awarded
their convincing eight debaters the second trophy.
This was Edgemont's
sixth trophy in as many years and they are already thinking about next
year. As one debater put it, "It was not about the trophy, but about the
journey to the trophy."