MEDIA RELEASE

On Sept. 19, Parker School was notified for the second year in a row, that its debate program has earned “significant recognition” by the National Forensic League (NFL), and has placed in the top ten percent of NFL chapters nationwide.

To earn this recognition, a school’s debate team must achieve 100 degrees (tournament scoring points) in a school year. Under the guidance of debate coach and headmaster Dr. Carl Sturges, Parker School’s team accomplished this again in the 2010-2011 school year, therefore sustaining membership in the NFL’s prestigious 100 Club.

“Such a milestone is remarkable because it demonstrates outstanding commitment to teaching students essential life skills—including communication, research, listening, writing, and organization,” wrote NFL Executive Director J. Scott Wunn in his notification letter to the school.

Established in 1925, The NFL is the largest and oldest interscholastic forensic honor society organization. Yearly, more than 112,000 high school and middle school students from more than 2,800 high schools and 100 middle schools are members.

The NFL’s goal is “to promote high school and middle school speech and debate activities as a means to develop a student’s essential life skills and values,” and their vision “is that every child in the United States will be empowered to become an effective communicator, ethical individual, critical thinker, and leader in a democratic society.”

About the award, Sturges said, “I’m really proud of our debaters for achieving this level of success. For a small school, this is a remarkable achievement and one that demonstrates the quality of our students.”

— Find out more:
www.parkerschool.net