The room was packed with students eagerly waiting for the outcome of the match. Nervousness and excitement blended together in a swirl of emotions. When the judge announced that RM had just won the Feb. 20, 2025 debate playoffs, everyone erupted into celebration. This is one of many first-place prizes the team has obtained—RM is known for its strong debate program, and has won the county championship two years in a row.
But they didn’t become so successful overnight. Every Wednesday and Friday, Room 214 is populated by students ready to prepare for their upcoming competitions. Crafting a well-written speech requires investigation, analysis and collaboration. Each award is the result of diligence and preparation, and it all starts with research.
Over the course of several weeks, students compile lists of useful websites or materials for their competitions with an assigned partner. “It’s been a ton of research,” freshman Eli Nodah said. “I feel like a lot of the meetings me and my partner are just trying to find resources online, sources in general that help persuade our arguments and of course, it’s a lot of writing as well.”
Collaboration is a fundamental aspect of the team as well. Whether they’re attending a meeting or not, members work collaboratively to develop stats, arguments and speeches. “We mainly focus on sharing a lot of the evidence that we gather together, everyone does their individual research, and then during meetings we get together and kind of share and just talk about it,” senior Anshani Rao said. “We talk about things that we thought were interesting. We argue about contentions, trying to break down each other’s arguments to see how strong they hold.”
Mr. GK incorporates lots of different activities to make preparation for debates fun and exciting. They use different games and team-building activities to keep the agenda of meetings a surprise. “And this Friday, we watched a video. I’m pretty sure a podcast or something and we analyzed it and stuff,” junior Kristoff Saghi-Szabo said. “So yeah, it’s like always changing basically. But it’s always fun. It’s a surprise. It never gets boring.”
Practice debates are another important step in the process. Debaters can test their arguments against other members and learn from their mistakes. “Mr. GK, the coach, assigns us to a different partnership, we debate against them, and he gives us feedback on our arguments of each speech so we know we can work on,” Nodah said. “Basically, it gives us a final idea of what we have to work on before the debate. I feel like it’s really great and helps me and my partner a lot to make last-minute edits.”
On the day of the contest, debaters from all across the county arrive at Montgomery Blair High School. Sophomore Karmaan Saxena says that once debaters arrive at Blair, they only have a few minutes to practice before they are sent to a room to begin their debate. Participants in the tournament only have to debate for two randomly assigned rounds, though there are three in total. After meeting up and coordinating with their partners, the rounds begin. As soon as the judge introduces what’s happening, the debate starts. A coin flip decides if a team is pro or con and the order in which they debate. After the round is finished, you either get a break or move on to the next debate, depending on your schedule.
Performance depends on the preparation and cooperation of the two teammates. Each teammate specializes in different aspects of the debate, choosing to be either first or second speaker. All the preparation during club meetings culminates in the first speaker’s speech. Junior Hermala Belay says that they must deliver a well-crafted argument and then use all the information in the debate to create summaries. The second speaker, however, has to improvise and come up with rebuttals on the fly. They have to use the information presented to them by their opponents to properly refute their argument.
These competitions can lead to memorable moments of shared success when RM wins debates. “One of [my favorite moments] was at playoff tour,” Belay said. “The whole team showed up and we were extremely supportive, hoping that RM would win. And that night we did win both as a group and individually, so we were very happy.”
However, according to debate team coach Mr. GK, progress is not defined entirely by winning. “The goal is always for each individual debater to improve in one thing that they set out to improve on,” Mr. GK said. “So each month they get ballots that have their feedback. And I ask them to pick one thing from their ballot that they are going to consciously work on. The goal is for them to have improved in that area and also to improve their relationship they have with their partner.”
Members say the club has value in terms of personal academic growth. “Honestly, it’s really helpful, and it encompasses everything you need to know about researching, writing and then speaking,” Saxena said. Many have been drawn to the debate team by the public speaking experience it offers. However, that’s not the only appeal—there is an inherently social aspect to it that others, such as Saxena, also appreciate. “It’s a really fun activity. You get to meet a lot of people across the county, and you get to work with your partner, form lifelong friendships, as Mr. GK always says,” he said. “It’s kind of a perfect opportunity with a balance between something that’s fun and something that’s challenging.”
Others enjoy the opportunities for analysis and learning that the debate club provides. Topics can range from low-earth satellite policies to the relationships between Britain and the EU. “I really wanted something that was intellectually stimulating that I could learn something from,” Rao said. “Going into debate, I knew I was a decent speaker, so I wanted to try out for it. I did end up getting in and ended up learning a lot more about researching and other skills that I didn’t think I would end up gaining.”
And for some, the activity of debate itself is the main allure of the club. “I just like arguing. I don’t know how to explain it, but I find it really fun because you’re refuting your opponent’s contentions and also developing more speaking skills.” Belay said. “Also, you’re always learning new things about debate because sometimes you might encounter a stat or contention that you don’t even know about. So you need to think quick on your feet.”
For the RM debate team, dedication and passion is a core part of its unique culture. “One thing that distinguishes us from some of the other clubs is that it’s not casual with us,” Mr. GK said. “You are expected to contribute and commit 100% throughout the debate season. It’s not a casual quote-unquote fun club. It’s work. And that’s why they get results.”
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