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Sage Hill Debater Shines at Harvard Summit
Courtney Tetteh-Martey ‘25 learned from the nation’s top debaters while experiencing Harvard dorm life and commuting across the Cambridge campus for two weeks this summer.
The National Speech and Debate Association and the Harvard Debate Council hosted over 100 high school students for the first session of its annual summer workshop from June 30 to July 12. The series not only teaches debate strategy and delivery but also delved into some of the biggest topics of our time including artificial intelligence, non-violent demonstrations and Chinese climate policy.
“Most interesting was talking about kleptocracies and how governments steal money from the people,” said Courtney, co-president of the Sage Hill Speech & Debate Team. “I think with a lot of the other topics I had heard of them to where I was familiar with some of the content, but with this, almost everything was completely new to me.”
This year, the USA Debate Team also attended the Harvard summer workshop to lecture and train ahead of traveling to the 2024 World Schools Debating Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. Among the highlights for Courtney and other attending high school students was learning from current and former coaches as well as alumni of the USA Debate Team.
“I was placed in the top group, and I immediately was like ‘I don't deserve to be in this group,’ because there were people in Team USA, people on Team Italy, Team China and I was really nervous,” Courtney said. “I think just putting myself into that environment and volunteering for different activities or drills, knowing that I was going to make a mistake, that was the only way that I would actually get better.”
After a week of 12-hour days involving labs, elective workshops and practice rounds, Courtney earned fifth place speaker in the World Schools Varsity competition.
World Schools debate is a style that combines the British and Australian Parliamentary formats that include both prepared motions and impromptu motions where students have no access to the internet and must develop their cases in one hour.
A cornerstone of Harvard Debate Council’s program is for students to be randomly assigned teammates based on their age and ability level, Sage Hill Speech & Debate Coach Rosalyn Foster said. Over the course of the workshop, Courtney was teamed up with about 20 different students, requiring her to adapt and think on her feet.
Courtney was also challenged in agility responding to classmates who asked questions or “points of information” in the middle of her teams’ arguments.
“I feel like those were the moments where I learned what I needed to work on the most and I would definitely bring that back to Sage,” she said.
Foster was grateful to be selected as a presenter by Harvard Debate Council this year. She was also excited to cheer on her Sage Hill pupil.
“Courtney was really good about trying different types of speeches that she doesn't normally do when she's here with our team. That's always great and super important,” Foster said.
The duo brought home many ideas and strategies from Harvard that they believe will help group Sage Hill’s speech and debate team. For example, Courtney wants to look at ways for the team to hold even more practices outside of their usual X Block sessions.
Some of the most memorable experiences happened off of Harvard’s campus, Foster said. She recalled how Courtney and a group of students went to a well-known Cambridge bakery and asked a Team Italy member to do a taste test of an American-made cannoli.
“That is the kind of stuff that I don't think you get at a tournament,” Foster said. “This workshop really wants the kids to work together and takes down a bunch of team barriers.”
In the future, Courtney would like to use her debate, writing and research skills to be involved in public policy, speak about her ideas and listen to others.
“I've always said that I want to give a TED talk one day,” she said. “That's been one of my goal markers so hopefully that’s in my future.”
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The National Speech and Debate Association and the Harvard Debate Council hosted over 100 high school students for the first session of its annual summer workshop from June 30 to July 12. The series not only teaches debate strategy and delivery but also delved into some of the biggest topics of our time including artificial intelligence, non-violent demonstrations and Chinese climate policy.
“Most interesting was talking about kleptocracies and how governments steal money from the people,” said Courtney, co-president of the Sage Hill Speech & Debate Team. “I think with a lot of the other topics I had heard of them to where I was familiar with some of the content, but with this, almost everything was completely new to me.”
This year, the USA Debate Team also attended the Harvard summer workshop to lecture and train ahead of traveling to the 2024 World Schools Debating Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. Among the highlights for Courtney and other attending high school students was learning from current and former coaches as well as alumni of the USA Debate Team.
“I was placed in the top group, and I immediately was like ‘I don't deserve to be in this group,’ because there were people in Team USA, people on Team Italy, Team China and I was really nervous,” Courtney said. “I think just putting myself into that environment and volunteering for different activities or drills, knowing that I was going to make a mistake, that was the only way that I would actually get better.”
After a week of 12-hour days involving labs, elective workshops and practice rounds, Courtney earned fifth place speaker in the World Schools Varsity competition.
World Schools debate is a style that combines the British and Australian Parliamentary formats that include both prepared motions and impromptu motions where students have no access to the internet and must develop their cases in one hour.
A cornerstone of Harvard Debate Council’s program is for students to be randomly assigned teammates based on their age and ability level, Sage Hill Speech & Debate Coach Rosalyn Foster said. Over the course of the workshop, Courtney was teamed up with about 20 different students, requiring her to adapt and think on her feet.
Courtney was also challenged in agility responding to classmates who asked questions or “points of information” in the middle of her teams’ arguments.
“I feel like those were the moments where I learned what I needed to work on the most and I would definitely bring that back to Sage,” she said.
Foster was grateful to be selected as a presenter by Harvard Debate Council this year. She was also excited to cheer on her Sage Hill pupil.
“Courtney was really good about trying different types of speeches that she doesn't normally do when she's here with our team. That's always great and super important,” Foster said.
The duo brought home many ideas and strategies from Harvard that they believe will help group Sage Hill’s speech and debate team. For example, Courtney wants to look at ways for the team to hold even more practices outside of their usual X Block sessions.
Some of the most memorable experiences happened off of Harvard’s campus, Foster said. She recalled how Courtney and a group of students went to a well-known Cambridge bakery and asked a Team Italy member to do a taste test of an American-made cannoli.
“That is the kind of stuff that I don't think you get at a tournament,” Foster said. “This workshop really wants the kids to work together and takes down a bunch of team barriers.”
In the future, Courtney would like to use her debate, writing and research skills to be involved in public policy, speak about her ideas and listen to others.
“I've always said that I want to give a TED talk one day,” she said. “That's been one of my goal markers so hopefully that’s in my future.”
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