Cappiello's Debate

Good morning class of 2019. I am Tori Cichelero, and I am running for Freshman Class President. As a president, my job would be to stabilize each and every single one of us, because we are new to the community of Ursuline Academy. I will make sure we are all involved, so we all get to be connected into the school. In order to be involved, we all have to take risk and try new things. Trying new things can be scary, but it can be so much better when you have a leader to guide you. My guidance can make us freshman the best possible class by using our intelligence, hard-work, responsibility, and kindness. When I think of Ursuline Academy, I think of how great our class is. Each classmate in front of me right now means so much to me. Your grades,

Throughout high school, I harbored a deep admiration for debate and dreamed of joining the team. Its quintessence of ideals in rational argument, tolerance for conflicting points of view, and rigorous self-examination appealed strongly to me. Yet simple things, like pronouncing a word wrong or having an accent, were enough to hold me back. Thus, I passed through my high school years unnoticed.

I have been attending Anthem Prep for five consecutive years and I am applying the role of Freshman Class Representative. To make it more interesting for our students to get involved, Anthem Prep has been making changes to its student life and topics relating to it. Though our school has made significant progress, I believe the upcoming student government will improve our student body and their lives on campus.

There is no way you have been able to watch these debates without responding to the TV as if the candidates could hear your opinion. The candidates represent two polar opposite views on issues like women's rights, immigration, healthcare, education and taxes, and you undoubtedly have some opinion on it. As a voter, you will be sharing your opinion on questions like: Who should be getting tax breaks? Should the government help fund education? Should illegal immigrants be allowed to stay in the United States to continue their education? Your opinion must be heard. As a minor, I can advocate for

I have noticed from my friends that even though the election is over, the dialogue has not stopped. Instead, people are more vocal about their options and thoughts. I agreed when Professor Gillespie stated that she does not look to the government to have all the answers, because they too are human, and are flawed. I enjoyed how both sides had good arguments and were able to back up their positions. When students posed questions, they answered them with thought. Listening to two different perspectives allowed me to see how people think differently that I do, but in the end just want the best for their

We hold debates between the Republican and Democrats before the primaries, and then we hold debates between the two remaining presidential candidates. Upon first glance it may appear that the presidential debates are held to get to know the candidate’s positions on the various issues that are important to the American people; however, the format of the debates make it difficult to accomplish that task. Instead, it is more plausible that these debates are held in order to discover what the candidates are like personally because the debates provide ample opportunities for us to discover the candidate’s values. Ultimately, we want to find out the values that these potential presidents have because we want someone we trust to lead the

At the beginning of the semester, our group spoke with the client to develop several goals that they wanted our group to achieve throughout this semester. After speaking to the Vice Chairman John Wood (2016), one of the main tasks that he wanted our group to assist the club with accomplishing was to use the election to boost engagement within the club for both club meeting attendance and also visibility on social media. Since the media was covering he election for a large part of the day, Wood discussed the idea that since the media is covering the election for a large part of the day, politics is on the mind of people more now than it would be during midterm elections. By using the fact that the election is top of mind for many individuals at Liberty, the club wanted to take advantage of this season and also gain members. The last goal that the club wanted to accomplish was to increase voter registration and voter turnout on Election Day.

In order to have a government that is run by people; specifically, people that must choose a candidate to vote for, its seems fit that it would be important that there be adequate means of illustrating each candidate’s positions on all of the issues that the constituents care about. Presidential debates are the means of showcasing a candidates’ policies to the nation and at the same time they allow the citizens in the democratic society to make a more informed decision about their vote than they otherwise would have without a debate.

They are often asked the same questions and their responses typically draw in or push away voters. Debates can show voters what the candidate will be like as their representative and foreshadow the major decisions that the candidate would make in office. While the Lincoln-Douglas debates are remembered as the first major political debates in the United States, most elections occurred with some sort of discussion between

As Senior Class Vice President, I serve the senior class by planning homecoming activities and using social media to keep our class

“Personally, I think the public deserves full and open access to candidates, and is made stronger and wiser by being allowed to compare candidates side by side in debates.”

Because truth contains the power to bring our nation together, prosperity to our citizens, and purpose to our role as a nation, I seek to let it be my guide in policy. As I compete in Congressional Debate, I draft legislation that knows no party, with policy that adjusts to the current geopolitical landscape. True conservatism is not exhaustive conservative policy. True conservatism responds to the voice of the nation at that time. One day after debate, one of my opponents commended me for flexibility and thoughtfulness in debate. That commendation means more to me than any first place award. Participating in Congressional Debate is one of the most fulfilling parts of my life. In the debate chamber, I speak not for points or awards, but to guide people to truth. I speak not always to persuade or convince, but to share perspectives that create the kind of dynamic existence President Coolidge achieved in his life, constant examination of policy for his constituents. My desire is that my speeches do not fool others into supporting one policy over another. My desire is to share policy options, only for the most effective to be chosen at the end of the round. This is not always the policy on which behalf I spoke – dynamic

The Bash Chair position is more than another title to add to my resume. This position would give me a chance to fully understand the culture of UTA as I direct my peers through the workings of an awesome event. Our campus teaches thousands of people every day, many of whom I may not have a chance to meet through happenstance. Nonetheless, I believe November’s Bash is a wonderful opportunity for students of all backgrounds to come together in the name having fun and our collective love for UTA. Serving as the Bash Chair will allow me to create connections with people and cultures I never thought I would encounter while leading our community through a wonderful tradition. The Bash leadership experience, through leading student and Arlington community involvement while facilitating teamwork, will help me expand my open-minded view of the world, a valuable lesson enforced outside of the

On Friday, February 26th and Saturday the 27th, South East High School held a debate event for high school students to discuss a topic. 450 students from schools across L.A. county attended this debate tournament. This was the second debate event I have attended and I really enjoyed it, and have never experienced anything like that before. More excited than nervous I came into it ready for the challenge, especially after hearing i was going to judge a debate alone, I took it as a way to learn more. I judged two rounds on the first day of Friday the 26th, arriving at 4:00pm, attended the judge training, which was helpful in explaining the debate format, topic, and scoring. Soon after, we all set off to find our rooms and begin round one!

Our faces were illuminated by nothing but our computer screens as we sat cross-legged researching the next political issue we hoped to unravel. My Policy Debate team is a community that values genuine passion, creativity, curiosity, and intellectual exploration. Over the years I have been free to be an artist, politician, researcher, and scientist. Our culture is one driven on a constant thirst for intellectual stimulation and curiosity. This community has taught me to constantly learn and open myself to all the diverse perspectives that the world has to