Members of the Charlestown High School Debate Team celebrate with their headmaster, Michael Fung, at the 2005 City Championships.

Charlestown Hosts Rhode Island for Second Annual New England Debate Classic

Charlestown High School hosted the Second Annual New England Debate Classic on December 13th. Featuring more than 70 Boston Debate League debaters and dozens more from special guest the Rhode Island Debate League, it was easily the largest tournament in the BDL's history. The event was made more special by visits from BPS Superintendent Dr. Carol Johnson and Academic Superintendent for High Schools Irvin Scott.

Thanks to Charlestown High School, headmaster Dr. Bledsoe, and coaches Mary Dibinga and Mercy Watson for hosting such a crowd and to everyone who volunteered.

Tournament Three at New Mission High School

The third tournament of the Boston Debate League's 2008-09 season broke new records, with an incredible 65 students competing. The Academy of Public Service swept the event, winning the Top School award and the JV and Varsity championships.

Thanks to New Mission High School, headmaster Naia Wilson, and coaches Chris Hill and Sarah Benis Scheier-Dolberg for hosting such a crowd and to everyone who volunteered.

Tournament Two at Josiah Quincy Upper School

The Josiah Quincy Upper School hosted the second tournament of the season on October 24th and 25th. This tournament marked a major change for the Boston Debate League, beginning our permanent move from one-day to two-day tournaments with preliminary rounds breaking to the quarterfinals. Nonetheless, we had our best turnout ever, with over 50 students competing.

The big winner was the Academy of Public Service, which closed out the Varsity division, won the JV finals, and had the top speaker in the JV division. Frezzelle Cullinane took home top honors in the Varsity division for JQUS.

Special thanks to JQUS history teacher and debate coach Richard Chang, who kept things running smoothly all weekend, and to everyone who volunteered as a judge.

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Tournament One at Boston Community Leadership Academy

Boston Community Leadership Academy hosted the first tournament of the BDL's fifth season. The event was an opportunity to welcome new coaches, new debaters, a new partnership with the Boston Public Schools, and a new League Director.

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2008 Summer Institute at UMass Boston

The University of Massachusetts, Boston once again hosted a free debate institute for the Boston Debate League. Students and teachers from eight BPS high schools spent the last two weeks of August learning about debate and about US energy policy, which will be the debate topic next season. The BDL Advisory Board provided a top-notch staff, dedicated professional development sessions for teachers, and all meals and transportation for the institute.

Special thanks to Harvard debater Ralph Paone, who served as an instructor at the institute and to the many BDL alumni and Harvard debaters who volunteered to help teach, judge, and raise funds for the institutes. Thanks also go to our sponsors: UMass Boston, Chipotle, Red Bones, Bertucci’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, the Harvest Co-Op, Shaw’s, Domino’s, Bo Loco, Veggie Planet, and Felipe’s.

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City Championships

On April 11th and 12th, Northeastern hosted the fourth annual Boston Debate League City Championships. The championships proved one of the most hotly contested tournaments in the Leageu's history. In the end, the Academy of Public Service claimed the Varsity title, triumphing over the Josiah Quincy Upper School in the final round. Meanwhile, Boston Community Leadership Academy took home top honors in Novice, with Brook Farm Academy finishing runners up.

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Chase UDL Nationals

In April, four Boston debaters and two coaches were invited for an all-expenses-paid trip to Chicago for the first annual National Association for Urban Debate Leagues national championships sponsored by JP Morgan Chase. Everyone had a great time meeting and competing with their peers from around the country, and we even got to meet Nate Parker, star of the Great Debaters and a strong supporter of urban debate leagues!

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About the Boston Debate League

The Boston Debate League is a public-private partnership operated by the Boston Debate League Advisory Board, the Boston Public Schools, and the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues We support BPS’ aspirations to make schools places of learning where academically rigorous thinking, reading, speaking, and working together becomes the norm. In short, we champion the belief that smart is cool and strive to make that mantra the dominant theme in school culture.

Contact Us

Joining the League

The BDL currently works with eight Boston public high schools: Academy of Public Service, Boston Community Leadership Academy, Boston Latin Academy, Brook Farm Academy, Charlestown High School, Josiah Quincy Upper School New Mission High School,, and Urban Science Academy. Any Boston public high school is welcome to join the League; interested parties should e-mail Executive Director Steve Stein at steve@bostondebate.org for more information.

Volunteering

The BDL relies heavily on volunteers to assist with coaching, judging,and League operations. There are also open positions on our board of directors. No prior debate experience or training is required, and virtually any level of commitment can be accomodated. Please e-mail League Director Steve Stein at steve@bostondebate.org for more information about volunteer opportunities.

Donations

Donations to the Boston Debate League are tax-deductible and always welcome. We accept credit card donations through Google Checkout, or you can mail a check. Enter an amount below to begin the online donation process:

Checks should be payable to Boston Debate League and mailed care of Steve Stein to 334 Boylston St. Suite 500, Boston, MA 02116. Please include a return address so that we can mail you a receipt for your deduction.