A must read on urban debate at Manual [UPDATED} Accelerated Learning Resources

A must read on urban debate at Manual [UPDATED}

UPDATE: Manual is sending the brother-sister team of Teague and Theron Harrison to the national urban debate league championships in New York next month, after the pair cleaned up at least weekend’s Denver championships. Manual student Jessica Keys also played a starring role, taking the prize as first-place speaker. Congratulations to the team and coach Charlie Smith.

Melanie Asmar at Westword has written a superb piece on the Manual High School Denver Urban Debate League, focusing on super-smart siblings Teague and Theron Harrison. I hung around the debate team during its inaugural season a couple of years ago and it was clear back then that if they could harness their energies, the Harrisons had the smarts to go places.

Here is my story on the Manual debate team from the fall of 2008. Asmar’s piece is comprehensive. This weekend the Manual team and the Harrisons will be competing in the Denver city championship, vying for a spot in the national tournament next month in New York City.

Kudos to Manual teacher Charlie Smith, the debate coach, and to the kids who have made the program a success against some tough odds. Go, Thunderbolts!

Accelerated Learning Resources