Written by Edan Khanian

A new club in Valley Torah had its first meeting. That club is the “debate club.” The debate club, run by Mr. Jennings and Edan Khanian, teaches students how to properly debate and argue while remaining civilized. They began by introducing a topic and they selected students for the debate. The topic was the first debate was, “Should the 2nd amendment be changed or altered?”  

Each side has to submit a short “brief” consisting of a claim, a counterclaim, and evidence/resources used. This brief was submitted to both Mr. Jennings and Edan Khanian. During the debate, each side had 1 minute to make their claim and then another minute to respond with a counterclaim. After both sides made their points, the audience asked questions in a Q&A style, and finally, Mr. Jennings voiced his advice. The debate club meets every Thursday at lunch.

In addition to teaching the students how to properly debate, the club will be posted on the students transcript and add extra points for their GPA. Many colleges look for students who take initiative and join these sorts of clubs.