Posted on Feb 22, 2018
Ray Pearson announced that 4 Carlsbad HS students would participate, initially be introduced as A, B, C and D. The judges in the audience were anonymous.
 
The speeches would be extemporaneous, though speakers were allowed to use notes. Each speaker was given strictly 5-7 minutes for the speech, with points deducted for time less or more than allocated. This was a Carlsbad HS debate. The winners would participate in speech contests with other high school students.
The debate topic was the Rotary 4-way Test, which is integrated into the Carlsbad HS Speech and Debate program. Ms. Curtis integrates the Rotary Four-Way Test as a core portion of her classes in order to expose ALL students to the usefulness of using the test as a basis for making good decisions, as well as motivation for competition.
 
The Debate Presentations
 
Debater A discussed the need for Certified Health Trainers in Football. In California, this is sorely lacking, leading to many injuries and concussions.  The 4-way Test was applied to demonstrate the need for this important change in California.
 
Debater B told the story of the 101st Airborne Service call to duty. Those family-members who remained had to cope with the fake-news that often disrupts. The 4-way Test was applied to measure how things are affected.
 
Debater C commented that, in the 21st Century, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is encroaching rapidly on jobs and way society operates. The 4-way Test was applied to measure the value of AI versus the disruption that will occur.
 
Debater D the environmental effects of rapidly encroaching building area affect animals in the world. The 4-way Test was applied to measure how things these changes affect the world.
 
Post Debate
 
While judges were deciding on the sequence of winners, Ray Pearson generated a round of applause for all the speakers.  Ray then presented Ms. Curtis, coach for the Speech and Debate Team.
 
Ms. Curtis that her family includes 4 children and briefly mentioned what they were doing. She commented that both Rotary Clubs of Carlsbad, High Noon and Evening, have been participating in District 5340 4 Way Test Speech Contest for the last eight years. In her class, the 4-Way Test plaque is hung in a prominent place for all the students to see, and the curriculum for college approval includes the Rotary Test Speech as a central component.   Due to integration in the classes, over a thousand promising students have been exposed to the 4-Way Test.  
 
Debate Winners Results
 
Ray Pearson invited all 4 contestants to come up to the front. Ray announced that they were all winners!  He then announced the winners of the evening’s competition.
  1. Josh Tran (B)
  2. Ravi Pathak (C)
  3. Lena McEachern (D)
  4. Arjun Venkatesh (A) – Arjun’s speech was excellent, but exceeded the time limit by 1½ minutes.
Carlsbad High School Speech & Debate: http://carlsbadspeechanddebate.weebly.com/