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When argument becomes debate: South Ender Frezzella Cullinane takes her team to the podium by Bessie King
MySouthEnd.com ContributorWednesday Apr 1, 2009 Frezzella Cullinane, a 17-year-old South Ender and senior at Josiah Quincy Upper School (JQUS), will represent the sate of Massachusetts along with three fellow Boston Public Schools (BPS) students at the Urban Debate National Championship in Chicago from April 23 to 26. The four students will compete against more than 20 Urban Debate Leagues from major cities around the country.
Two of Cullinane’s teammates, Tyrrell Carter and Julio Lanzo, are juniors at the Academy of Public Service (APS), and the third, Jason Mak, is a junior also at JQUS. Cullinane’s team was invited to the competition after winning at this year’s special Boston Debate League’s round-robin tournament, where the JQUS team defeated seven of the league’s best teams.
"I got involved with the debate team because Mr. Chang [the team’s coach] was my history teacher last year and we were having this conversation in class, a disagreement, and he basically said I should join the debate team to go argue there and I said, ’Fine, I will!’ But I started going for all the wrong reasons," said the soft-spoken but direct Cullinane. "Mr. Chang had junk food at every practice, and anyone who knows me knows I love food, so I just went to eat. But eventually he made me go to a tournament and I was so intrigued and excited. I decided afterwards to give debate my all and really practice."
The Boston Debate League was started in 2004 by volunteers and had only four participating schools. Thanks to district funding pledged by Dr. Carol Johnson, BPS superintendent, the league has expanded to include eight BPS schools.
"We are so proud of these students and know they will represent Boston well in the national championship," said Johnson. "Debate quickly has become such a popular and engaging activity in many of our high schools. Competitive academic debate cultivates the critical thinking and communications skills and helps build the confidence that students will need to succeed in college and career."
Being on the debate team is not a simple task, though. Cullinane and her teammates practice at least twice a week for two hours after school. Practices usually involve reading specific articles or cases that the students understand better with the help of their coach, Richard Chang, who has been coaching since 2006, and assistant coaches. After the session, students receive practice assignments to help with their critical thinking, analytical reading, and speech development, Chang explained. But the hard work pays off.
"I like to mention that ever since I got into a relationship with God I feel He was the one who placed me into debate because He knew the characteristics He built in me for it," said Cullinane, who was voted captain by her teammates at the end of her junior year. "Debate has helped my drive and motivation and taught me to be really faithful to this sport and stick with it, because I had never stuck to anything before, and when I realized I was good at it and that I wanted to win all the time it built character that I need to survive and for college and for everyday life."
Others noticed this change too, like her school’s headmaster Dr. Bak Fun Wong. He said that having a debate team has been a longtime project for the school but one he cherishes because it allows students to take in information critically and present it with their own thinking. According to Wong, the principles of debate coincide with the principles, or "pavilions," of his school: Information, Culture, Path Finding and Renewal.
Cullinane, whose arguments in class led to her participation on the debate team, has grown into a polished debater and a vital cog in her team’s success, said Chang.
"Her greatest debate asset is her poise in public speaking," said Chang of Cullinane, who hopes to attend Simmons College, major in physical therapy, and even coach the debate team as a college student. "She establishes strong rapport with the debate judges."
Chang, Locksley Bryan, a math teacher and debate coach at APS, and Steve Stein, Executive Director of the Boston Debate League, will accompany the students to Chicago. While there the students also will participate in cultural events as well as conference sessions with other debaters from around the country.
"This past year, I witnessed the development of the debate team into a family-like atmosphere. Debaters share their strategies, ideas, food, and support during each practice. As the team’s captain, [Cullinane] has matured in her leadership role," said Chang. "She took novice debaters under her wings to encourage and support them."
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