Henrico students compete at 'Revolutionary Rhetoric' event in Williamsburg

By Lauren Jones, Special to the Citizen

Four students from Glen Allen High School and Deep Run High School competed in the inaugural Revolutionary Rhetoric Speech and Debate Invitational earlier this month in Colonial Williamsburg.

Isabella Catalano of Glen Allen High School and Joseph Cedeno, Dillon Kao and Soorya Sridharan of Deep Run High School joined top students from throughout Virginia, recreating 18th-century discussions on the colony's role in America's fight for independence in the very buildings those debates took place 250 years ago.

The invitational was developed in collaboration with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, The Richmond Forum Speech and Debate Initiative and Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP.

When deciding where to host the event, “it made sense to use the living history museum as a way to engage students and encourage them to explore the history of our commonwealth and nation," said event director Sandra Wheeler.

The historical setting offered a rare opportunity for students to debate on the same ground on which some of the nation’s founding fathers once stood.

The main event, Student Congress, involved students taking on the roles of either Loyalists or Patriots, and being required to submit legislation that pertained to the period that Colonial Williamsburg was active, mainly 1770-1775. Some topics presented for legislation included the formation of militias and fortifications, commerce ideas and taxation.

“It was six hours of debating, people going up, writing speeches about other people’s legislations, and arguing for and against them,” said Cedeno, a junior at Deep Run High School, reflecting on the experience in Congress. “In total, four out of eight bills got passed. So, we were able to work together and compromise on bills and amend them as needed.”

Isabella Catalano, a senior from Glen Allen High School, represented the Loyalists perspective during the debate.

“It was really interesting trying to immerse myself into the idea that kind of fundamentally went against my own beliefs,” she said. “I had to really restructure my thought processes to support a Loyalist agenda, which was difficult but enlightening.”

Debating inside the historical buildings enhanced the event for Dillion Kao of Deep Run High School.

“It made me feel like I was literally living in colonial times,” he said. “It felt like I was debating in the House of Burgesses. It felt like I was a person who actually made an impact on history.”

Wheeler hoped that the students left the event with a greater appreciation for the power of civil discourse and civic engagement.

“I hope they each understood the power of civil discourse and how it’s the backbone of this country,” she said. “I like to think we are training the next generation of Virginia citizens to bring civility back to politics.”

The event underscored the importance of speech and debate as vital skills for both personal and civic growth.

“Speech and debate have really taught me how to not only be a leader and speak my mind, but also how to communicate my ideas effectively,” Catalano said. 

The mission of the Richmond Forum Speech and Debate Initiative is to have competitive speech and debate programs at all public middle and high schools in the Richmond region by 2025. Wheeler highlighted the broader significance of participating in speech and debate competitions for high school students in our democracy.

“The ability to speak with power and confidence and to civilly articulate and debate points of view are critical to a functioning democracy and a successful life,” she said.