One underclassman-led up-and-coming club has met a catastrophic boost in success: the Emery Debate Club. The club has quickly grown into an outlet for critical thinking and confident public speaking. 

The club began in 2021 with alum Margaret Barg ‘25 who requested Upper School Learning Support Interventionist Jyme Roundtree to become their sponsor. 

“I was hesitant to accept,” Roundtree said. “I did poetry and prose in college, but I thought she would need someone who will get into the nitty-gritty of debate. But she reassured me, ‘No, no, no, we just need someone to believe in us. We’ll take care of the rest.’” 

Despite Roundtree’s doubt, Barg kept her promise and the club remains largely student-led.

The current board consists of sophomores Ben Bernstein, Anna Ganesh, Addie Penny, and Ryan Berger. The most recent competition, Clear Creek Classic, had finalists: Bernstein, Penny, and Berger. 

“The club wasn’t all too formed in the beginning, but Margeret had a lot to teach us. Now, I would say I see this club in a year or two having students registered for national tournaments,” Bernstein revealed. 

“I really joined because of a friend with a mutual interest, but since I did, my expectations grew. In a few years time, there will definitely be more tournaments and hopefully more students recognized,” added Ganesh.

Indeed, the debate club has grown exponentially since Barg’s initial proposal back in her freshman year. 

“Four years ago we started this program just as a club, and in the past year and a half we’ve had 10 people with degrees, meaning that they are recognized by the National Speech and Debate Association as official competitors,” Roundtree added.

According to the club’s Social Media Manager Addie Penny, the club used to only attend one tournament per year. 

“I would say all our competitions and the abilities we have are due to Bernstein,” Penny added. “He is really responsible for taking over that president position and really embodied it fully.” 

Both Roundtree and Bernstein see the club expanding, especially with the addition of the Speech and Debate elective. Furthermore, Emery has begun efforts to search for a legitimate coach. 

The Debate Club has and will continue to offer an invaluable chance for Emery students to develop their voices,grow, and become confident thinkers. 

“There is so much to do and learn in this club,” Penny added. “I hope to see so many more people join and learn in the upcoming years.”