Chicago Tribune - March 9, 2008
Gerry Smith, gfsmith@tribune.com

But at Kenwood Academy High School on Saturday, more than 100 Chicago public school students tackled the issuein the city's first middle school debate league championship.

With high school students serving as judges, the 5th to 8th graders from six schools took turns at a podium, delivering short speeches and rebuttals as their opponents scribbled furiously.

The format relied on researched evidence, said Les Lynn, director of the Chicago Debate Commission.

"Every claim made has to be supported by a quotation from a public source," Lynn said. "It also promotes critical thinking because they have to listen carefully to the other side and think through the potential flaws."

The competition was part of the After-School All-Stars, a pilot program organized by Chicago Public Schools with help from the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues and the Chicago Debate League.

Following the recent release of the film "The Great Debaters," starring Denzel Washington, officials are hoping the program will see increased participation.

However, the complicated subject initially daunted Pat Jonikaitis, a debate coach at Kellogg Elementary School on the South Side.

"When we got the first topics about sub-Saharan Africa, I was thinking, 'How are these middle school kids going to wrap their minds around this?'" she said.

But during the semifinals, they appeared to have a firm grasp of the issue. With more than 30 of her peers watching, Susan Engemann, 14, a Kellogg student, argued in favor of using generic drugs to treat HIV/AIDS, saying brand-name drugs cost about three times more.

"The higher costs of these treatments means they only reach about one-third of those who would benefit from cheaper generic drugs," she said.

But Naomi Lazar, 13, a student at Lincoln Elementary School, replied that generic drugs are "lower quality" and "encourage the drug resistance of HIV/AIDS."

Jonikaitis said the program not only helps students develop their speaking and critical-thinking skills, but also puts them in contact with children from other parts of the city.

"Basically our only measure against other students is what we do on paper in terms of testing," she said.

After three rounds of debates, Ryan Rowe, 11, a student at Owen Scholastic Academy, said he was ready for more. Rowe said he enjoyed arguing with his friends, but not with his parents.

"I never win," he said.

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