In this class, students will learn basic skills of debate and persuasion.  Students develop speeches addressing the four current topics being debated in the Student Congress at the Teen Center around the first of March.  With regular attendance of this class, students will have the opportunity to participate in this culminating activity, debate the issues, present persuasive speeches, and cross examine peers who present opposing view points. 

WHEREAS it is already legal to sell one’s own blood;

BE IT RESOLVED that people should be legally able to buy and sell human organs.

2. WHEREAS social interaction between the sexes presents a clear and serious classroom distraction to Middle School students; and

     WHEREAS it has been demonstrated that students achieve greater academic proficiency without that kind of distraction 

     BE IT RESOLVED that all eighth grade classes in public Middle School be single gender 

3. WHEREAS the First Amendment guarantee of religious freedom means that people are free to believe or not believe in God; and

    WHEREAS the framers of our constitution clearly believed in a diety 

    BE IT RESOLVED that the reciting of the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance in public school should be continued and supported. 

4.WHEREAS the Summer Olympics goes beyond athletics by symbolizing a worldwide commitment to shared moral values and natural rights; and 

    WHEREAS the host nation of China continues to violate basic human rights as an instrument of national policy; 

    BE IT RESOLVED that the United States should boycott the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

1.
WHEREAS all students should be provided with the best educational  tools and technology available, and
WHEREAS Maine and Florida already furnish lap tops for all of their public school students,
BE IT RESOLVED that all public middle school students in California be supplied with lap tops.

2.
WHEREAS some Death Row inmates claim personal reformation, and
WHEREAS one goal of imprisonment is rehabilitation,
BE IT RESOLVED that those Death Row inmates who demonstrate the above qualities should have their death sentences commuted to life sentences.

3.
WHEREAS a three month summer vacation is too long for students to retain information learned at school, and
WHEREAS many school districts have already successfully adopted the Year Round format of alternate blocks of nine weeks of school followed by two weeks of vacation,
BE IT RESOLVED that California, in order to better meet the academic needs of its students, should adopt a uniform, statewide, year-round school year.

4.
WHEREAS the newest threat to western civilization is terrorism, and
WHEREAS terrorists have access to weapons of mass destruction and have demonstrated that they will use them against civilians,
BE IT RESOLVED that U.S. government agencies should have the option to implement torture to combat and prevent future terrorist attacks.

Cell Phones in Classrooms
Whereas, communication between students and the outside world in times of emergency is essential, and

Whereas, mobile communication is faster and more reliable than fixed communication systems,

Be it resolved that students be allowed to bring cell phones with them to their classrooms.

Junk Food
Whereas, "Junk food" is detrimental to the health of students, and

Whereas, "sugar highs" cause students to lose focus in the classroom, and

Whereas, it is the duty of schools to educate strudents in all facets of life,

Be it resolved that the sale of all junk food on school property shall be prohibited.

Eliminating the Electoral College
Whereas, all members of Congress are elected by the direct vote of the American public, and

Whereas, the average citizen in America has access to all the information he or she needs to make an informed political choice,

Be it resolved that an amendment be added to our constitution replacing the Electoral College with direct voting.

Human Cloning
Whereas, the cloning of human beings is viewed by many as immoral, and

Whereas, the cloning of human beings also creates a plethora of legal problems,

Be it resolved that the cloning of human beings be made unlawful.

School Vouchers
Whereas, every child in America is entitled to the best possible education, and

Whereas, many children are denied this education because of poverty,

Be it resolved that school vouchers be made available to every American family that wishes to bypass public education and enroll their child in the private school of their choice.

Gun Control
Whereas, more than 40,000 Americans die from guns every year; and

Whereas, 4,500 children die from guns every year, and

Whereas, strict gun control laws in Canada, Japan and Europe have reduced gun deaths to a handful,

Be it resolved that the strictest laws regarding gun safety, gun registration and gun use penalties be passed and enforced.

Here are the 2001-2002 Student Congress resolutions:

1. Whereas the existence of an adopted child is often hidden from families, and
Whereas the discovery of an adopted child can cause severe emotional damage to the biological parent, the adoptive parent, the adopted child, as well as to both families,
Be it resolved that adopted children should never be allowed to discover the identities of their biological parents.

2. Whereas the threat of terrorism has now become a reality within the borders of
America, and
Whereas the source of this terrorism stems from a single ethnic entity,
Be it resolved that the United States should implement a racial profiling process and procedure during this time of national crisis.

3. Whereas academic standards of achievement vary by district and by state; and
Whereas a uniform standard of minimum proficiency is needed for our national educational system,
Be it resolved that high school students should not be issued a diploma unless they have passed the High School Exit Exam.

4. Whereas human beings share this planet with millions of other life forms, and
Whereas all living things have a right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,"
Be it resolved that animal testing should be illegal for the purpose of any scientific and medical research.

5. Whereas criminals sometimes use our own legal system to evade detection and prosecution, and
Whereas laws of privacy often hamper law enforcement agencies from gaining important evidence,
Be it resolved that the FBI and the Federal Government should be allowed to encroach on citizens' rights to privacy for the greater good of national security.

6. Whereas the incidence of skim cancer among school aged children has increased dramatically in recent years,
Be it resolved that students should be allowed to wear school-approved hats at school.