Bloomfield High School's freshman class and a contingent of students from Carmen Arace Middle School attended Fridays NAACP's 11th Annual Great Debate in Bridgeport.
The Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater event was moderated by White House Correspondent April Ryan. It provided students the opportunity to learn more about the value of research, oral argument, civil debate, critical thinking and sportsmanship. About 5,000 students from around CT were in attendance.
The debate teams cross-examined the removal of teacher- certification exams in CT, as well as Artificial Intelligence - AI - in the music industry.
"Debates such as these, pitting an Ivy League school vs. a Historically Black College, show there can be highly competitive and compelling student-debates when both sides embrace the importance of preparation, research, team work and oral articulation skills," said Bloomfield Public Schools Superintendent Dr. James Thompson, Jr., an HBCU alumnus. "Mastering debate skills instill confidence in students and helps them to better prepare for college and meaningful careers. Our recent Portrait of a Graduate conversations spoke to the importance of developing critical thinkers, who can write and speak well."