APS students discuss potential debate topics at the 2014 DUDL Fall Kickoff Workshop.
Students have spoken loud and clear: speech and debate is a must have in Aurora Public Schools!
Last fall, the Denver Urban Debate League and Aurora Public Schools began a partnership to help introduce students to speech and debate, and the DUDL recently released a report showing just how popular the program was. The partnership birthed urban debate teams at five APS schools, including Aurora Central, Gateway, Hinkley and Rangeview high schools and Vista PEAK Preparatory. Nearly 60 students participated and earned a bevy of awards.
Highlights
Aurora Central High School (16 students)
- Students Marcos Aguilar and Lorenzo Arellano participated in the public debate event at the University of Denver, where they represented the DUDL alongside college debaters.
- Shanshan Zheng earned the Maximo Corrada Award, one of DUDL’s highest honors.
- Aurora Central hosted the first DUDL tournament at an APS site in January.
Gateway High School (8 students)
- Gateway ended the year winning the DUDL’s Speech Sweepstakes Award.
- Students will help lead DUDL’s student advisory board in the 2015-16 school year.
Hinkley High School (12 students)
- Adriana Montel and Cecilia Ramos won the second tournament in Policy Debate in the Novice Division.
- 9News featured Hinkley students in a report celebrating the benefits of urban debate for English language learners.
- Hinkley will host a DUDL tournament during the 2015-16 season.
Rangeview High School (9 students)
- Rangeview students earned several end of year honors, including Melanee Montgomery as Speaker of the Year and Nadya Nfaoui as Rising Star of the Year.
- Rangeview will host a DUDL tournament during the 2015-16 season.
Vista PEAK Preparatory (12 students)
- Caleb Songer delivered a powerful speech at the DUDL’s end of the year awards banquet.
- Spanish Language debate will be added to future DUDL offerings, an effort Vista PEAK plans to take advantage of moving forward.
Aurora Central students Danny Nguyen, left, and Tyeler Fields perform their Humor/Drama routine during the CenturyLink Classic.