FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com january 15, 2015 • CATHOLIC SCHOOL • The Queens Courier 51 ST. FRANCIS PREP STUDENTS GROW INTO STEWARDS OF THEIR COMMUNITIES THROUGH SPEECH AND DEBATE On Saturday, February 7th, St. Francis Prep students and teachers will meet from dawn to dusk to particpate in a Speech and Student Congress. This particular event is dedicated to the memory of Prep’s longtime Speech, Student Congress and Debate Team Coach, Maurice Braithwaite, who passed away in July of 2013. In speaking about the event, current moderator and coach Diane Haussermann spoke to the opportunity individual students will have to qualify for the statewide competition. Speech and Student Congress is unique, with just over 10 schools having programs. And though this is a relatively small number compared to other types of competitive programs, there is a great deal of diversity and perspectives of the students who participate. Each month, students are presented current issues and events to either speak about or debate. Prep senior, Jonathan Mendez has been on the team for three years. For him, participating allows him the opportunity to learn a great deal through researching and writing, as well as listening to the views of students from different places. It offers students opportunity for “success and growth, where benefits are immense.” And though academically challenging and requiring a great deal of time, he sees it as fun. Recent topics have included capital punishment, prison funding and reform, and healthcare. In the Congress portion, they have the chance to research, debate, and pass bills. Prep’s team has had great success in the last few years. Last year alone, four Prep students competed in a national competition in Chicago, and several have already qualified for state competition this year. They have done this with a significantly smaller team; fourteen compared to as many as fifty from other schools. Although Jonathan did not have the chance to work with Mr. Braithwaite, he was able to speak of how he “”transformed the program, and that he was a “great person.” Prep held a special event last year to honor him, and invited Mr. Braithwaite’s family. Jonathan concluded by saying that Braithwaite gave Prep the “gift of speech.” Currently, the team is led by Prep’s chairperson of Social Studies, Mrs. Diane Haussermann. Maurice Braithwaite Additionally, the team is aided by coaches Alisha Brizicky, Constancio Soto, and Frank Armano. Haussermann commented that, “this team of coaches does a fantastic job!” Mendez credits “Ms. H” with “always being there to help,” and that the program, “wouldn’t be where it’s at now,” without her. For more information, please contact Mrs. Diane Haussermann, chairperson of Social Studies, at (718) 423-8810, x236, or [email protected].
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