At LHS there are two sides to our forensic program: Oral interp and debate. Oral interp falls on the more dramatic side of the spectrum and debate on the more argumentative. Other than bus rides, the two groups rarely interact, but on Tuesday, Dec. 12, the two groups collided after school at Big Questions debate.

Big Questions debate is a relatively new event sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation, that focuses on topics concerning the intersection of philosophy, religion and science. Due to the sponsorship, schools that host a tournament have the opportunity to earn up to $10,000 based on participation.  

LHS debaters and interpers joined forces to increase our participation and to have a little fun. Debating in pairs made up of one debater and one interper allowed the two activities to see sides of each other they have not had the chance to in the past.

“It is interesting to see [the interper’s] different speaking style,” said Avery Scott, a first year debater. “Instead of just stating facts, they tell a story before making arguments, something we don’t often do in debate.”

The participants argued the resolution: Resolved: “Humans are fundamentally different than animals.” They spent their night exploring different ideas and sides to the topic and were able to come out of the tournament with a new view on the issue. Interpers were able to see what it is like to argue on both sides of a problem and debaters viewed a new presentation method.