Dozens of impassioned arguments will be underway at a pair of schools in the Des Moines area today as part of the final rounds of the State Debate Tournament. Craig Ihnen is executive director of the Iowa High School Speech Association.They’re debating in three styles, including two-person team debates, Lincoln-Douglas style one-on-one debates and the Student Congress, similar to the Senate and House chambers of state government. The debates get underway (starting at 8 AM) at Ankeny Middle School and Ankeny High School. Ihnen says students can grow into better adults by taking part in debate.Ihnen says today’s event is gathering kids from all over the Hawkeye State.Participants are from some 40 schools statewide, including: Ames, Ankeny, Atlantic, Bettendorf, Burlington, Carroll, Cherokee, Clarke Community, Cedar Rapids, Denison, Des Moines, Dubuque, Fort Dodge, Iowa City, Kuemper, LeMars, Norwalk, Okoboji, Ottumwa, Roland-Story, Sioux City, South Page, Spencer, Spirit Lake and Turkey Valley.
