Student Debate Tourney Homes In On Restorative Justice

This article was submitted by Rachel Heerema of the Citywide Youth Coalition.
The City of New Haven Youth Department, New Haven Public Schools, Yale University Urban Debate League and Citywide Youth Coalition hosted the first high school student debate tournament in New Haven.

Forty students participated in the debate tournament from schools including the Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School, Hill Regional Career High School, High School in the Community, Metropolitan Business Academy, New Haven Academy, The Sound School, West Haven High School, Wilbur Cross High School, Homeschool Group, Hyde School of Health and Sciences and Sports, and Polly T. McCabe Center.

The tournament started Friday at 3 p.m. in Dwight Chapel Hall at Yale University. The event concluded with a final debate at 7:15 p.m. between the top four debaters.

Tatiana Gay of West Haven High School, and Zariah Altman, Denzel Walker and Alejandra Corona, all representing The Sound School, debated the issue of restorative justice, a new policy that is under consideration to be enforced in New Haven high schools.

Restorative justice is a method of justice that involves rehabilitation rather than punishment of the offender. It focuses on restoring the relationships that an individual might have harmed during an incident. Altman and Gay argued the affirmative side. Competitors Walker and Corona from The Sound School addressed the opposition.

The affirmative side primarily focused on individuals who benefit from restorative justice rather than typical punishments, such as detention and suspension. Altman and Gay stressed the importance of all sides being heard, referencing the current one-sided disciplinary system.

The current discipline system in place prepares students for the real world, the opposition rebutted. Corona and Walker explained that after high school when an individual does something wrong, there is no chance to explain why he or she did it. They said that the current system provides a good foundation for students to follow.

Honorary judges included New Haven Mayor Toni Harp, Superintendent of Schools Garth Harries, Ahmed Hardy, a student leader in the 10th grade at New Horizons School, Isabelle Taft, curriculum director for the New Haven Urban Debate League and coach for High School in Community as well as James Hillhouse High School, and Trevor Williams, Development Director for the New Haven UDL and coach for the Hill Regional Career High School.

An awards ceremony and celebration followed the final debate.

First, awards were given to the top five students that debated throughout the day in four different categories including novice speakers, novice teams, as well as varsity speakers and varsity teams. Each student presented an award shook the hands of Harp, Harries, and Ahmed Hardy.

Then, the president of Yale’s Urban Debate League, Becca Steinberg, announced the winners of the final debate, Altman and Gay, who won $500 each. The competing team was awarded $250 each.

Jason Bartlett, Youth Services Director, awarded the money for the top debaters and also personally handed the students trophies.

The Citywide Youth Coalition is a nonprofit organization in New Haven that works to build a community in which all youth can succeed. The organization teamed with the city of New Haven’s Department of Youth, Yale’s Urban Debate League, and the New Haven Public Schools to make this event possible.

Rachel Heerema, Executive Director of the Citywide Youth Coalition, was thrilled with the event turnout and the students’ performance. She hopes more debates will be held in the future.

The Superintendent of Schools Garth Harries added that the students made him very proud; he couldn’t imagine doing what they did up there on the spot. The night gave him great hope for the city and country, Harries said.