Area can be proud of Springfield's public school students

Last week, Parkview students Emma Bentley and Patrick Carver won the National Forensic Speech and Debate Tournament in Salt Lake City. It's the first such accomplishment for Parkview since 1969.

The team's winning argument was that "Every young adult in every nation should complete one year of national service." This would fight terrorism in a peaceful way, they said, because personal relationships between people of different nations would increase.

For those people who question how much good supporting public schools does, here's the answer.

This is what people around the state and around the nation expect of Ozarks students.

There were 24 Springfield students at the competition as well as a team from Neosho High School.

In addition, students from Parkview's drama program went to the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Neb., earlier this week.

This is something that all of Springfield and the Ozarks and especially the Parkview High School family can be proud of.

Congratulations to debating duo

Due to district budget cuts, SPS speech and debate coaches saw significant reductions in their budgets this year. These cuts directly impacted their ability to take top qualifying students to the state and national debate tournaments, a critical part of participation in speech and debate.

In response, the foundation was proud to work with all five high school debate coaches to create the SPS Speech and Debate Fund, designed to ensure that Springfield's top debaters will always have the opportunity to compete at the highest level. Many individuals and businesses responded with donations and look at the results brought home by Carver and Bentley!

For decades now, Springfield Public Schools has been recognized as a powerhouse in speech and debate. Donors interested in helping continue this storied tradition may send a check, earmarked for the SPS Speech and Debate Fund, to the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools, 940 N. Jefferson Ave., 65802.

Congratulations to Carver, Bentley and all 25 Springfield debate students who represented us well last week!

Linda Regan, Springfield

Parkview High School team takes U.S. championship in public forum debate.

Emma Bentley, 16, (left) and Patrick Carver, 17, of Parkview High School returned to Springfield as the Public Forum Debate World Champions. Joanna Doria / News-Leader

Weller Avenue may never be the same.

"All of Weller is celebrating," said Jeanie Carver, mother of winner Patrick Carver.

He and his fellow Parkview student and Weller dweller, Emma Bentley, dominated the competition last week at the National Forensic Speech and Debate Tournament in Salt Lake City.

Their title marks the first such debate accomplishment since Parkview students won a national championship in 1969.

"After they announced we won the championship, it felt like I was making it up," said Carver, 17, a Parkview senior and student-body president. "It was kind of surreal."

He and teammate Bentley, 16, a junior, who live five doors apart on Weller, debated in the public forum sector at the national tournament. Public forum allows the debators to interact with the judges and each other, instead of a one-on-one situation. It's one of the three main debate categories.

"It's patterned after CNN's 'Crossfire,'" Parkview debate coach Nancy Wedgeworth said. "Each side gives a speech and they can cross-examine each other."

Teams like Bentley and Carver compete in pairs throughout the school year, taking topics and choosing a side on which to argue. The speeches then are critiqued by judges where a winner is decided.

Parkview's national championship topic was "Every young adult in every nation should compete one year of national service."

The victorious pair said they won by arguing that "Increased service would decrease global terrorism. Putting more people in foreign countries would increase relationships between people and build better relationships through non-military actions."

Among the perks of being national champs: bragging rights, an internship offer from one of the judges with the United Nations and a $5,000 scholarship to the college of their choice.

But the scholarship will have to wait. The two still have to graduate from high school.

Because of their age, Bentley and Carver continually found themselves competing against older foes at the tournament.

"Patrick is good at crystallizing issues and Emma is such a good public speaker. They really complement each other well, especially when they're going up against older, more experienced competition," Wedgeworth said.

Bentley found herself in the minority as the only female competing most of the time, especially among the last 10 debators.

"I don't think people were intimidated by me at all, but it worked to my advantage," said Bentley.

National championships may be rare, but regional and national success in speech and debate for schools in the Ozarks isn't new.

Twenty-four high school students from Springfield were in the national tournament, and there was a team competing from Neosho High School.

Hillcrest placed six students, Central seven, Kickapoo four and Parkview had six.

"For a long time, Springfield has been the powerhouse in Missouri," said Brett Miller, a former Parkview debate coach and current communication professor at Southwest Baptist University.

"Their title is the result of decades of success in Springfield."

Actually, it's not uncommon for Springfield to be recognized as the top debate city in Missouri, he noted.

"One of our great joys was facing Ladue or Clayton, or any of the affluent Kansas City or St. Louis suburbs and beating them soundly," said Miller, who helps with college debators. "It was not unusual to go to any tourney and see (Springfield) take the top three places, if not the top five."

As involved as they are in debate, the champs aren't just one-dimensional high schoolers.

Carver is a decorated forward on Parkview's soccer team that finished second in districts this year. Bentley runs on the track and field team.

"I suppose people still see (debate) as nerdy, but I think people are coming around," she said. "I've been hearing more congratulations from adults and people that have done it before."

Carver is just thankful for the opportunity debate has given him.

Carver said his dad, attorney Tom Carver, "thought it was one of the best skills he ever picked up. It's an incredible communication tool."

But does the neighborhood pair believe in the things that they say?

"It depends what day we're debating on," Carver said.