Best of the Week 2021-2022: Excellence in College Prep

STUDENT LEADER RESTORES ST. ED'S SPEECH AND DEBATE CLUB

Eric Vaziri '23 has taken leadership in restoring St. Ed's Speech and Debate Club. What was once a great speech and debate tradition at St. Ed's has now grown into a team of recruited Edsmen under the leadership of Eric, who has done all of the research for what it will take to get the team off the ground. In support of bringing speech and debate back to St. Ed's, Director of International Programs Mr. Michael Perrins has stepped up to moderate the new Speech and Debate Club and support Eric's vision for the student organization. "Good analysis, healthy discussion and structured argument is the very essence of democratic freedom of expression," says Mr. Perrins. "I know Eric very well through Model UN and he has the vision, understanding and commitment to spearhead the new Speech and Debate Club, considering he was the driving force of the pilot Debate Club that ran last year too. In an age of pernicious 'cancel culture,' which threatens freedom of expression and results in discussion and debate being shut down, the growth of partisan divides and forces people into unnatural entrenched 'bubbles.' We need to re-learn how to disagree well, have open discussions, debate and argue appropriately. Celebrating diversity of opinion is the bedrock of a free society." "I personally have always wanted to join a debate club and when I found out St. Ed's didn't have one I figured, why not start one," says Eric. "The new Speech and Debate Club will teach our students how to communicate in a concise and confident manner and how to think on their feet when being challenged. I hope that we will ultimately be able to create a club that will first and foremost be fun, where we can work on our speech and debate skills, and be able to restore a student organization that will stand the test of time after I graduate."