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.
- Josh Tran (B)
- Ravi Pathak (C)
- Lena McEachern (D)
- 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/