Debate team achieve more than expected

Serghino René

It was a little late in coming but the visit was worth the wait.

Last Thursday, Mayor Thomas M. Menino visited the Academy of Public Service in Dorchester to congratulate the school’s debate team.

They won the Urban Debate League 2005-2006 championship last April, and it was hard to tell who was the proudest — the team members or Menino.

“I am proud of the accomplishments of the Academy of Public Service debate team, and of their fellow students who pulled together strong arguments that were informed and timely,” Mayor Menino said. “I was impressed with their grasp of complicated topics and, while I did not agree with all of their suggestions, I was swayed by their determination and hard work.”

The debate team’s success underscores the success of the school. Started at Dorchester High School with 30 students, the Academy of Public Service officially opened in 2003 as a new small school within the Dorchester Educational Complex. The school focuses on public service, and has had 90 percent of its graduates go on to two- or four- year colleges. The high school now has about 300 students.

This past weekend, the debate team participated in the Urban League Debate Tournament where their junior varsity team won seven out of ten debates and their varsity five out of nine.

“To have students who were traditionally looked down upon now realizing that they are being looked up to makes the time we put in worth every minute,” said Menino.

APS debate team heads Loxley Brian and Dan Ordorica meet with their students for an hour-and-a-half or more after school, three days a week. The students typically dedicate 20 plus hours per week on their own if they want to effectively participate in this extra curricular and intellectual activity.

“One of the biggest things I like about the debate team is that they experience a huge sense of personal growth,” said Dan Ordorica, debate team assistant. “They may not know much about what they are getting themselves into, but their confidence and self esteem grows. They begin to make connections with their other classes and it’s such a huge asset.”

APS senior Gennerre Crocket is an example of Ordorica’s statement.

“I used to be a passive individual,” said Crockett. “Now, I’m more active. I’m not easily intimidated and I don’t fear talking in front of people.”

Students were pleased with the mayor’s visit and were proud of the fact that they were able to go above and beyond what’s expected of them. During the mayor’s visit, the students debated about the proposed expansion of Americorps and the possibility of having people manually expect cargo, making Americorps a relative part of the Homeland Security.

“We proved to the Mayor that the hype of Dorchester being ‘Dumbchester’ is not true anymore,” said APS senior Jessica Lewis. “We’re a new school and better than what people thought before.”

Four years ago, Dorchester High School transformed became three separate schools — Union Business Academy, Tech Boston Academy and Academy of Public Services. Most recently, APS was ranked as the fourth most improved school on the MCAS exam.

“It was good to show the mayor our potential and that we’ve improved as members of Dorchester High, but as APS, we’re keeping a steady pace,” said APS senior Charlotte McHayle.