Today, I judged a high school debate round at the Rocky Mountain Classic Speech and Debate Tournament, at Metropolitan State College. A 17-year-old competitor from Northglenn invited me to be a community judge, probably due to my City Council position - little did she know of my high school experiences in speech and debate.
As I walked through the halls on the way from orientation to my competition room, I became nostalgic for my days on the Aspen High School speech and debate team (where I was only an average competitor in the drama, poetry and humor categories). I have changed a lot in the decades since then, but by the looks of things today, the whole speech and debate concept and high schoolers seemed not to have really changed that much.
Though I wish I had time to attend more rounds, my one event was eye opening. The topic of this year's policy debaters is the American Birthrights Act and whether to support its passage. Since I have been listening only casually to the illegal immigration debate, I was fairly surprised by some terminology used in the immigration control arguments. I'm almost embarrassed to say that I was unaware before today of the term, "anchor babies." It's so graphic; I can't believe I've missed it up until now. Why, there's even a Wikipedia entry about it!
If you aren't familiar with the proposed 2007 Birthrights Act, I would recommend you take a look at it. By visiting,
www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_HR_1940.html, you'll see a good summary and some pro and con statements.
I thank the four student debaters, who introduced me to the topic and argued for and against its merits with great skill and eagerness. Though I'm pretty sure I would not personally be for passage of the act, the debating team representing the affirmative ended up being more convincing to me. Congratulations to them for a well-fought win against some challenging competitors.
In other high-school-related news, Water World is once again seeking teenagers to fill positions as lifeguards, food service workers, tellers, guest attendants, and grounds maintenance staff. You must be at least 14 years old to apply for grounds maintenance. Most other positions require that you are at least 15 or 16 years old. Hourly pay starts at $6.25 to $9.25 depending on job type and experience, plus there are various benefits.
Job applications for the 2008 season have been available for pick up at the Hyland Hills Park & Rec. District administration building at 88th Avenue and Pecos Street since early February. Though a job fair was held March 15, other job-hiring opportunities should be happening soon. The 2008 online application is available at
www.waterworldcolorado.com/pages/08jobapp.pdf. Dates and times for returning completed applications are listed on the form.
Reminder: This content is determined by Tanya Ishikawa and any views expressed are her own, and are not officially approved or supported by the city of Federal Heights or the City Council.