Recently, the debate team has been faced with many obstacles, but they have persevered through them. For a while, it seemed like there wouldn’t be a debate team. The previous coach had resigned, and there was no one to take the mantle. Luckily, a team of very dedicated students refused to let it crumble. Sofia Khan (‘17) was especially vital. She and a team of captains worked to ensure that the debate team would withstand the challenges.
When asked about her motivation for working to keep the team alive, Sofia said, “I’ve been on the debate team since freshman year, and it’s made such a huge difference in my high school experience. I really wanted to make sure that BC still had a debate team because I know that it’ll continue to be a great club for so many future and current members.”
Fortunately, the school did find a coach. Her name is Heather Gilvary-Hamad, and her experience with public speaking has been useful for the team. Coach Gilvary-Hamad is from South Bend Indiana, but moved to Brookfield this summer. Her public speaking experience has come from being a long time member and former president of a toastmasters club, a nonprofit organization that helps its members improve their public speaking. When commenting on the importance and pertinence of public speaking, Coach Gilvary-Hamad said, “No matter where students go in life, whether professionally or personally, the ability to speak, negotiate and debate will serve them well. I am thrilled to be of an assistance to the students that I can be.”
Coach Gilvary-Hamad and the captains are looking forward to season ahead, and hope to keep the debate team running for many more years.
This season, the team is debating a resolution about the Internet of Things. The general concept of the Internet of Things is how different appliances (garages, thermostats, and in the future maybe even toasters) are connected to a general internet platform. For example, if you can open your garage with your phone, it would become a part of the Internet of Things. The team is debating about whether or not the increased convenience is worth the decreased personal privacy.
Despite facing challenges, the debate team has persevered through it all, and they are looking forward to a great year.