“Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.” This is what AHS debate club members work on every Tuesday after school, preparing themselves for the upcoming speech and debate tournaments throughout the winter season.

The AHS debate club started attending state tournaments in 1986, and since then it has grown and members have begun to attend national competitions. This year the club started meeting right after the start of the school year in order to prepare for competitions. AHS history and debate teacher Chris Wheatley has been running the club for ten years, but has been passionate about debate for much longer than that.

“Debate is how I learned to learn and I think it’s the most epistemic thing you can do. It’s like taking a lab class for theory of knowledge. It’s a way to learn about the world. A way of knowing,” Wheatley said.

Thebiggest change to the club this year is that the club is going to more competitions. Salem Abraham, a father of two AHS students and debate club members, made a generous donation to the debate club, allowing the team to participate in more competitions, some being out of state. Already this year, five members traveled to New York City to compete in a national tournament for four days starting on October 17^th.

“New York was a really great experience because we were able to make friends from other states and learn about their schools and their debate experiences,” AHS junior Diana Flores said.

Although it was a great learning opportunity, the debate team went 0-7 in three events. Juniors Ann Marie and Robert Abraham won two out of the seven debates in Policy, which was the fourth event.

Wheatley hopes to compete in another tournament out of the state; however, this can only be made possible if the club members are willing to put in the time. As of now, the team will compete in other tournaments and festivals in various places around Colorado before they compete in the State tournament on January 24th and 25th. Club members are able to attend if they have participated in at least three competitions previously, and they can even earn a varsity letter by placing in an event at states or making it through the elimination rounds at a national tournament.

Though this is a great incentive, the club doesn’t just prepare students for states or nationals.

“My favorite part about debate would probably have to be all of the benefits you get aside from being able to argue better,” AHS senior Bryan Alvarez, a four year debate club member, said. “It has helped me be better on my feet, become better at speaking, and it has helped me be able to organize my thoughts quickly. It has also introduced me to new topics that I never would have encountered before.”