When the topic is whether school debate programs teach youngsters to better express themselves, Michael Koo would likely argue for the affirmative.
"I like to argue a lot. It helps me think about how to answer arguments in everyday life," said Koo, 14, a rising high school freshman from Ellicott City who, along with teammate Devansh Srivastava, captured this year's national championship in policy debate at the Middle School National Speech and Debate Championships recently in Des Moines, Iowa.
The tandem went 14-0 to win their title.
The Ellicott City-based organization where they are members, Capitol Debate, earned a School of Excellence award for holistic squad performance. The group teaches young people political debate, giving them critical-thinking skills that they can apply well into adulthood.
In its fourth year, the program is drawing a crop of new debaters to its summer camps at Loyola University in Columbia for rising sixth- through ninth-graders, from July 26 through Aug. 6.
Among other things, the camp introduces students to debate and helps them learn how to give a public speech, organize ideas, write a case and conduct research.
"Debate gives the kids the chance to find their voice," said Ron Bratt, founder and CEO of Capitol Debate. "It helps them to learn to express themselves in the community and make a difference."
Koo and Srivastava captured the title arguing that the U.S. government should substantially increase social services such as food stamps to the impoverished.
"We had several reasons for advocating food stamps," said Srivastava, 14, from Ellicott City. "People are starving now, and it's the government's fault. We have a moral obligation to provide food."
A Woodstock resident, Bratt said he was drawn to debate after watching a competition as an eighth-grader growing up in New Jersey. Before launching Capitol Debate, he taught the subject at Catholic University in Washington and says that many of his former debaters there have gone on to careers as lawyers, professors and lobbyists.
Bratt said that debate often draws young people who don't follow the same interests as their school peers. Particularly, he says, many either aren't that good at sports or have little interest in them.
"A lot of them do not do sports, but they have that competitive energy and they're really smart," said Bratt. "This becomes an outlet for that competitive energy.
"Successful debaters are young kids who are motivated and competitive," he said. "They're usually their toughest critic. I think that debate is no different in a lot of ways than sports. The kids who are the most successful are the kids that hate losing the most, and it's that drive that makes them win."
They include Nikita Datta, 12, of Clarksville, who was awarded top debate speaker in policy debate. Last year's Middle School Debate Champion was part of a tandem that lost in the semifinals in policy debate this year.
Despite her recent accomplishments, Datta says that this year's semifinal finish in policy debate doesn't sit well with her.
"Obviously, it's very exciting to win, but when you lose, it's upsetting," she said. "There's fierce competition, people who really want it."
Yet already Datta is envisioning what she will do with her gifts when she enters the working world.
"I want to have a policy-making job, where I can be in government and make changes" she said.
Both Koo and Srivastava say they already see the immediate benefits of excelling at debate.
"I was kind of shy at the beginning," said Srivastava, "but over time I was able to overcome that. I guess debate has a lot of benefits like that."