Two Earn Best Speaker Awards at JSA Conference
Members of CSW’s Junior State of America (JSA) club visited Boston for the JSA Fall State convention to participate a day of workshops and debate in December. Nine students from CSW attended the event, with many of them engaging in debates with JSA members from schools across the nation. Two students, sophomore Theo Dillon and junior Julia Applebaum, took home Best Speaker awards for their efforts.
Members of CSW’s Junior State of America (JSA) club visited Boston for the JSA Fall State convention to participate a day of workshops and debate in December. Nine students from CSW attended the event, with many of them engaging in debates with JSA members from schools across the nation. Two students, sophomore Theo Dillon and junior Julia Applebaum, took home Best Speaker awards for their efforts.
Traditional JSA debate rules dictate that main speakers present opening arguments for the respective negative and affirmative sides, followed by a series of subsequent speakers for each side. After, the main speakers return to the podium to present closing arguments. For the Fall State convention, main speakers were determined in advance, whereas subsequent speakers signed up as space availed on the day of the event.
Julia Applebaum took part in an impressive six debates, serving as the main speaker for one, and a subsequent speaker for five. Topics ranged from the question of whether the restriction of certain arms threatens the legitimacy of the Second Amendment, to the issue of whether transgender athletes should be required to compete with those of their birth-assigned role. Her efforts earned her two Best Speaker awards, as voted on by debate attendees.
Serving as a subsequent speaker in many of these debates meant that Julia had little to no time to prepare an argument. Instead, she took the risk of getting on stage and forming her arguments on the fly, doing her best to be both clear and compelling in the articulation of her ideas. It was an opportunity that she is very grateful for.
“I believe that the ability to effectively convey ideas is one of the most important, but undervalued, skills there is,” Julia shares. “If you want to be able to influence others and really make a difference, communication is key, and JSA is a great place to start.”
The mission of JSA is to strengthen American democracy by educating and preparing high school students for life-long involvement and responsible leadership in a democratic society. The institution’s various programs help students develop leadership, communication, and advocacy and campaign skills. Learn more at http://jsa.org/.
CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.