When SBHS junior Clarissa Melendez prepares for a debate, she spends hours and hours, days and nights, pouring all of her sweat and blood into her argument.

   “You have to be in it to win it,” said Melendez.

   The 16-year-old is the president of the debate club. This will be Clarissa’s 3rd year being in the debate club, she joined because she always has been interested in politics and arguing based off of facts.

   She has won about five debates in her debating career. And her favorite type of debate is Congressional Debate, which is a group of debaters and they meet in a chamber. They give a speech on the bill that they want to pass and later they vote on which bills get to be passed into laws.

  Debate means to Clarissa bringing self-confidence to students and lets them know what is going on in the world’s current events. As well as speaking freely and advocating your beliefs and is a way to express yourself.

    Clarissa said, “ the experience of the debate club has been… chaotic and difficult, but really fun at the same time” And “you also get to have intellectual conversations with other debaters.”