Tiffany Greene, Your Kids
The movie, "The Great Debaters," sets the scene for this "Your Kids" report.
"The Great Debaters" shows the true story of how a professor at a small, historically black college in Marshal, Texas, inspired a group of students to form the school's first debate team and later compete against the national debate champions during the 1930s.
Decades later, a Volusia County school is showing how they are overcoming their own set of challenges by winning a host of trophies in just their first year.
What students at Pine Ridge High School are doing is not technically known as debate, but as forensics -- which includes speech, debate and even a little bit of theatrics.
"We learn a lot about the world. We're always looking up new information. I know before my grades weren't the best, but now I get straight As. We have to to have a certain grade point average to be in it," said Audrey Triplitt, the forensics team president.
"I know a lot of the stuff -- like L.D. and public forum we talk about -- has a lot to do with politics and current events. So, that's really helped me a lot with what I'm talking about in my classes," said Chelsea Stewart, the forensics team president.
Their classroom success has led to success on the stage. In just their first year, the Pine Ridge forensics team already has 21 trophies in just four tournaments. The 62-member group is showing signs of greatness since forming in October.
"The growth in them and the ability to grow each other and create a family. Not just their work ethic, not just their ability to research, not just their dedication to their pieces but their love for each other, and their learning how to take care of each other, that's what's really cool about our team," said Angela Stephens, the forensics coach.
The Pine Ridge students are continuing to sharpen their speech and debate skills for a big national qualifying competition in March.
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