HEIDELBERG — This East Jasper school has officially activated a debate team.

A group of students at Heidelberg High School have come together under the direction of two instructors and formed the school’s first Forensics/Debate Team.

Jenecy Griffin serves as the coach of the group and Bret Jones served as the assistant coach.

Several students at the high school joined the group and discovered the adventures of debating.

Griffin said the forensics team is a competitive speech and debate team that gives students the opportunity to use their speaking, analytical and critical thinking skills.

A debate is basically an argument with rules.

Debating rules vary from one competition to another, and there are several formats for debates. Debates can involve single-member teams or teams that include several students.

Typically in a debate, two teams are presented a topic they will debate. Normally, each team is given a set period of time to prepare an argument. However, students typically don’t know their debate subjects ahead of time.

Griffin said to prepare for the debates, students are encouraged to read about current events and controversial issues. She said the goal of the student is to come up with a good argument in a short amount of time.

Once the students present their topic, a judge or a panel of judges will assign points based on the strength of the arguments and the professionalism of the teams.

Griffin said members of Heidelberg High’s team are making great strides in their new-found endeavor.

Griffin said along with participating in a school group, students also get a chance to travel to other schools and sites and participate in various forensics/debate competitions.

Heidelberg High’s Forensics Team took part in its first competition recently when it participated in the Petal High School Forensics Tournament held this month.

“Everyone scored well at our first event. ... I was so proud of them. They did a good job,” Griffin said. “I just wanted them to get a feel for it and they did so well.”

Memry Bender, the 11th grade class president at HHS, took part in the Lincoln Douglas Debate; Symonica Page, HHS student body vice president, and Ajai Williams took part in the public forum debate; Falon Humphries, HHS student body president, participated in the Novice extemporaneous speaking and impromptu speaking; Justin Nixon participated in the impromptu speaking; Jayla Lang took part in the novice poetry competition; Autumn Bobbett, 10th grade class president, took part in the dramatic interpretation competition; Kendra Abney competed in the original oratory; and TyKeem Edmonson competed in storytelling.

School officials said the debate team is designed to encourage the young people and promote academic excellence.

“This is the first year the school has had a debate team and I think it is making a difference,” Griffin said.

She said by participating on the debate team, HHS students learn the art of persuasion. They also have to research issues to prepare to compete in local, regional, and national tournaments.

The students also benefit from the experience of speaking in public.

“By taking part in the competitions, it helps the students to be able to think on their feet,” Griffin said. “They also have to do research.

“It also allows them to be able to challenge each other on controversial topics,” she said. “Even though debate is about competition, it’s also about learning and meeting new people.”

Nixon, a senior, said participating in the competition helped him with his future plans.

“I enjoyed being a part of the group,” he said. “I know that I want to be a D.A. (District Attorney), so I got on the debate team, and I like it. ... It was a different experience than I expected, but I enjoyed it.”

Kendra Abney, a 10th grader, agreed.

“I enjoyed just being there,” she said. “It was a new challenge to me.”

TyKeem Edmonson said the experience was motivating.

“I enjoyed it a lot. It was a good experience where I learned a lot,” Edmonson said. “I met a lot of good friends and enjoyed it all.”

Griffin said the group is currently preparing to attend the Gulfport High School Forensic Invitational to be held on Nov. 6 and 7.