Debates Part Deux

The final round of this year’s Freshman Debates on Monday March 23^rd yielded a second victory for the class of 2012 and Renewal Project supporters.

            Many of Albany High’s students and faculty are in agreement that there is a void of projects incorporating critical thinking after the Renewal Project.  

            Albany High School’s librarian, Sara Oremland, who participated in the technical aspects of the project, is one noting the importance of the Renewal Project and similar research-intensive schoolwork.

            During the project Oremland taught students the value of quality research sources that are credible and reliable.  Using the software program, Noodle Tools, students were encouraged to gather reliable information and cite it correctly, a skill beneficial to future academic efforts. 

Oremland spent considerable time checking the reliability of student’s sources through Noodle Tools which she developed carpal tunnel syndrome from.  (Just check out the brace on her wrist).

Acknowledging that many Albany High students are not involved in similar projects after the ninth grade, Oremland expressed hope to change exactly that.  “The ideal model for Albany High would be some type of research project every year, something really engaging to students.  I don’t now exactly what that would look like, but maybe we could get student input.”

            As the last class to participate in the Renewal Project prior to this year, many seniors are noticing the same trend; research-intensive projects are lacking in the sophomore, junior and senior year. 

Students are familiar with the “research this and spit the information back to me” projects.  However, some students are wishing they had been engaged in projects requiring more involvement including work similar to the Renewal Project. 

        Senior Chantal Tom is among these students.  “The freshman debate project was a useful learning experience overall.  I think a similar project assigned in later grades would be a good idea because it would help us learn from the mistakes we made during the freshman debates and we could continue using the strategies that did work.  Also, as our opinions and outlook progressively change, the project’s benefits would change.”

Since the sophomore and junior class were not involved in the project as freshman, the Renewal Project is somewhat foreign to them.  Junior Hannah Guletz is apprehensive about adding the project’s intensity to the already great demands of the 11tth grade.  She explained, “The debates sound really interesting and are a great way to get practice with public speaking.  But talking to some freshman, it sounded like a lot of work that juniors don’t really have time for.  However, I do wish that we had been able to participate in the project when we were freshman.”