Schools

Whiz Kid: St. Francis Student Earns Award in International Debate

David Yoo, a La Cañada resident and junior at St. Francis, represented the United States in a three-member debate team in Istanbul, Turkey.

Whiz Kid's Name: David Yoo

Age: 17

School:

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Accomplishment: After eight weeks of preparation, Yoo and his teammates traveled to Istanbul, Turkey to represent the United States. Yoo's team participated in the 2011 International Debate Education Association (IDEA) Youth Forum. He competed in the Karl Popper Debate Championship, earning a second place overall win in the competition. Yoo was one of 200 debaters who represented more than 50 countries during the event, which ran from July 19 to August 1, 2011.

Students worked on their public speaking and overall communication skills, according to a news release from St. Francis High. The championship featured two prepared topics, and four limited-time preparation debate topics (announced at the forum, 45 minutes prior to the round) in the area of international migration.

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Yoo, an honor student and participant in the Saint Francis High School Mock Trial Team and Academic Decathlon Team, has participated in debate for the past three years. 

Quote: "Achieving second place was a very great and satisfying spot especially at an international competition.”  And spending time in Turkey was “one of the greatest educational experiences that I have ever received.”  

Future Goal: He hopes to create a debate club at Saint Francis High and introduce his fellow students to the excitement of debate. 


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