Whitney Young Debate Fund 2016-2017
Donation protected
Founded over 20 years ago at the Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, the Whitney Young Debate Team has achieved national recognition for its accomplishments as a groundbreaking National Urban Debate League program. Our Debate team competes in the Chicago Debate League, the Illinois High School Association, and all across the United States on the National Policy Debate Circuit. The team is comprised of over thirty 9th-12th grade students who come from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and neighborhoods in Chicago to attend the Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, one of Chicago's premier selective enrollment high schools, recently ranked by Niche as the seventh best high school in the United States.
During the 2015-2016 season, with your support, our team competed in 25 local, state, and national tournaments finishing the season as the Chicago City Champion Runner-Up, the Illinois IDCA State Champion Novice Division Runner-Up, the IHSA Varsity State Quarterfinalists and qualified to and received awards at the Tournament of Champions national debate championship in Kentucky. Last season you helped us raise over $20,000. Without your help, none of this would have been possible. As our district faces a growing financial crisis, this year, we need your help more than ever.
In 2012, the Whitney Young Debate Team was the first and only Chicago Public School thus far to win the IHSA Varsity Policy Debate Illinois State Championship. In 2016, the Whitney Young Debate Team qualified for, competed in, and received awards at the Tournament of Champions, one of the most prestigious national championship tournaments.
During the 2014-2015 season, our Debate team was the Chicago City Champion Runner-Up in both the Varsity and JV divisions. Additionally, the team was the JV State Champion Runner-Up in the 2015 IDCA championship tournament. This year the team achieved national recognition and awards on the national circuit at the Harvard University Invitational Tournament, at the Dowling and Kannelis National TOC bid tournaments in Iowa, and at the University of Michigan national tournament.
Our extremely hard-working, dedicated, passionate student debaters spend over 30 hours during each tournament weekend competing. During the week, students spend countless hours in practice, in our English elective Debate class, and at home researching everything from oceanic environmental policies to race and gender critical theory. During the summer, our students earn scholarships to attend Debate camps and summer institutes at colleges and universities across the country to prepare for the upcoming sesason.
The team competed in 20 tournaments during the 2014-2015. We are hoping to be able to compete in 25 tournaments during the 2015-2016 season. Our team competes against private and suburban schools on the national circuit that sometimes have over five times the budget, coaching staff personnel, and resources than our team. Facing a disparity of such resources, our student debaters persist to debate confidently with full force.
The Chicago Public School District is facing a fiscal crisis that will likely result in further cuts to crucial educational extracurricular activities including Debate programs around the city. The inspiring and dedicated students of the Whitney Young Debate Team will only be offered the life changing opportunity to compete alongside their student counterparts from more affluent suburban school districts from across the country with the support of your generous contributions.
Your donations will directly impact the lives of some of the smartest, most hardworking students in the Chicago Public Schools, who would be glad to share their Debate stories with you. Your contributions will help to cover costs of tournament registration/entry fees, costs of required hired judges, fees for busses to local tournaments, costs of bus, train, and flight tickets and hotel costs for national circuit TOC qualifying travel tournaments.
Given the current political climate surrounding public education, donating to this campaign is a way for all of us to do the right thing for our children, to positively contribute to and invest in the development of next generation of bright young minds of aspiring leaders in all sectors of our society. Having equal access to the highest quality academic extracurricular opportunities is an essential social justice issue. Please donate today and share the link to this campaign with your friends, relatives, and co-workers to spread the word. Our students could not reach their full potential without your generous support. On behalf of the Whitney Young Debate Dolphins, we thank you for your contribution.
Sincerely,
Ben Friedman
English Teacher/Debate Director
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
[email redacted]
CampaignLink:
https://www.gofundme.com/wydebate2016-2017
Also, please follow and support the team by liking and sharing Whitney Young Debate's Facebook page found at:
https://www.facebook.com/whitneyyoungedebate
While any contribution is greatly appreciated, below are some suggested donation amounts listed alongside what they will cover:
Suggested Donations:
$25-Entry fee for 1 student in a local city tournament
$50- Entry Fee for 2 students in a local city tournament
$120- Entry fee for 2 students at one national tournament
$300- 1 Hired Judge for 1 local tournament.
$400- Team bus for local tournament
$600-Hotel room shared by 4 students for 3 nights at one national circuit TOC bid tournament.
$800- Registration fees for 8 students at 1 national tournament
$1200- 2 Hotel rooms for three nights for 4 students and WY coaching staff for one national circuit TOC bid travel tournament.
$4000- All expenses for 1 national travel tournament for 8 students and 2 coaches.
During the 2015-2016 season, with your support, our team competed in 25 local, state, and national tournaments finishing the season as the Chicago City Champion Runner-Up, the Illinois IDCA State Champion Novice Division Runner-Up, the IHSA Varsity State Quarterfinalists and qualified to and received awards at the Tournament of Champions national debate championship in Kentucky. Last season you helped us raise over $20,000. Without your help, none of this would have been possible. As our district faces a growing financial crisis, this year, we need your help more than ever.
In 2012, the Whitney Young Debate Team was the first and only Chicago Public School thus far to win the IHSA Varsity Policy Debate Illinois State Championship. In 2016, the Whitney Young Debate Team qualified for, competed in, and received awards at the Tournament of Champions, one of the most prestigious national championship tournaments.
During the 2014-2015 season, our Debate team was the Chicago City Champion Runner-Up in both the Varsity and JV divisions. Additionally, the team was the JV State Champion Runner-Up in the 2015 IDCA championship tournament. This year the team achieved national recognition and awards on the national circuit at the Harvard University Invitational Tournament, at the Dowling and Kannelis National TOC bid tournaments in Iowa, and at the University of Michigan national tournament.
Our extremely hard-working, dedicated, passionate student debaters spend over 30 hours during each tournament weekend competing. During the week, students spend countless hours in practice, in our English elective Debate class, and at home researching everything from oceanic environmental policies to race and gender critical theory. During the summer, our students earn scholarships to attend Debate camps and summer institutes at colleges and universities across the country to prepare for the upcoming sesason.
The team competed in 20 tournaments during the 2014-2015. We are hoping to be able to compete in 25 tournaments during the 2015-2016 season. Our team competes against private and suburban schools on the national circuit that sometimes have over five times the budget, coaching staff personnel, and resources than our team. Facing a disparity of such resources, our student debaters persist to debate confidently with full force.
The Chicago Public School District is facing a fiscal crisis that will likely result in further cuts to crucial educational extracurricular activities including Debate programs around the city. The inspiring and dedicated students of the Whitney Young Debate Team will only be offered the life changing opportunity to compete alongside their student counterparts from more affluent suburban school districts from across the country with the support of your generous contributions.
Your donations will directly impact the lives of some of the smartest, most hardworking students in the Chicago Public Schools, who would be glad to share their Debate stories with you. Your contributions will help to cover costs of tournament registration/entry fees, costs of required hired judges, fees for busses to local tournaments, costs of bus, train, and flight tickets and hotel costs for national circuit TOC qualifying travel tournaments.
Given the current political climate surrounding public education, donating to this campaign is a way for all of us to do the right thing for our children, to positively contribute to and invest in the development of next generation of bright young minds of aspiring leaders in all sectors of our society. Having equal access to the highest quality academic extracurricular opportunities is an essential social justice issue. Please donate today and share the link to this campaign with your friends, relatives, and co-workers to spread the word. Our students could not reach their full potential without your generous support. On behalf of the Whitney Young Debate Dolphins, we thank you for your contribution.
Sincerely,
Ben Friedman
English Teacher/Debate Director
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
[email redacted]
CampaignLink:
https://www.gofundme.com/wydebate2016-2017
Also, please follow and support the team by liking and sharing Whitney Young Debate's Facebook page found at:
https://www.facebook.com/whitneyyoungedebate
While any contribution is greatly appreciated, below are some suggested donation amounts listed alongside what they will cover:
Suggested Donations:
$25-Entry fee for 1 student in a local city tournament
$50- Entry Fee for 2 students in a local city tournament
$120- Entry fee for 2 students at one national tournament
$300- 1 Hired Judge for 1 local tournament.
$400- Team bus for local tournament
$600-Hotel room shared by 4 students for 3 nights at one national circuit TOC bid tournament.
$800- Registration fees for 8 students at 1 national tournament
$1200- 2 Hotel rooms for three nights for 4 students and WY coaching staff for one national circuit TOC bid travel tournament.
$4000- All expenses for 1 national travel tournament for 8 students and 2 coaches.
Organizer
Ben Friedman
Organizer
Chicago, IL
