D.C. Teams Compete in National Debate Championship

McKinley-Roosevelt Students Return Without Prize but With Confidence

Although they had never been teammates before and attend different D.C. public high schools, Angela Lubkeman and Betika McKeever were determined to win.

The goal was to capture the inaugural Chase Urban Debate National Championship in Chicago on Saturday at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

"It'd be the perfect ending to my year," said Lubkeman, a junior at McKinley Technology High School in Northeast.

Their strategy to rely on their complementary strengths, McKeever's fervent persuasiveness coupled with Lubkeman's penchant for in-depth research, appeared to be a formula for victory.

But after achieving a 3-2 record in the preliminary rounds debating whether the United States should increase public health assistance to sub-Sahara Africa, they never made it to the quarterfinals to compete for the championship.

Although they returned home without the championship trophy, they came back grateful for the experience and with their confidence intact.

"When you lose you get stronger," said Carey Hartin, the debate coach for Roosevelt High School in Northwest, where McKeever is a senior. "It takes a certain amount of humility to lose and come back and do it again."

Before joining Roosevelt's debate team three years ago, McKeever acknowledged she experienced some difficulty with reading. Some people questioned her ability to compete and succeed, which caused her some uncertainty.

"I just didn't believe in myself," she said. "I just wanted to prove people wrong. I wanted to prove I can do it."

McKeever is not alone.

According to the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues, students who participate in debate teams are more likely to improve in literacy, critical thinking skills and writing ability.

"The skills we want students to demonstrate [in the workforce] overlap so greatly with debate," said Colin Touhey, executive director of the D.C. Debate League. "The ability to work in teams. The ability to take criticism. Debate bridges the gap."

The Urban Debate League began in 1985 as a partnership between Emory University and two public high schools from Atlanta. The league consists of 311 high schools and 51 middle schools in 18 metropolitan areas.

The 34 teams in the two-day tournament were finalists from their debate league regional tournaments. Alan Dubose and Adam Mathews, juniors at Hyde Public Charter School in Northeast, also represented the District in the competition.

Team members from Chicago's Lane Tech High School won first place but were denied an undefeated record with a loss to Lubkeman and McKeever.