Brian Plunkett Award for Creative Debate

Brian Plunkett Memorial Award for Creative Debate

For the fourth year, Roseville Area High School Debate would like to recognize one aspect of what we think makes debate an interesting and engaging activity—creative and out of the box thinking.  So we will recognize one creative person or team with a unique award.  This is a special award given to the student who has come up with the most interesting and creative idea at the annual Rosebowl.

The award is named after Roseville’s late assistant debate coach Brian Plunkett.  Brian was one part brilliant, one part cracking with cynical sarcastic wit and 100% behind the activity of debate.  He was always creative, innovative and full of unique ideas.  The students and staff of Roseville Debate developed this award with the support of Lucy and Tim Plunkett and Brianne Reeves, his fiancé. We’d like to recognize the most creative debate arguments presented in the round.  

What is a creative debate argument? This is a subject of a great deal of disagreement.  Studying creativity leaves one with an understanding of the lack of agreed on standards in creativity.  Some look to great works as being the standard for creativity.  Other researchers point to children’s thought as being the best example of creativity.  Batey(2012) comes up with an operational definition that will help with a simple rubric that we will use which includes ideas that are original and ideas that are valuable in a round of debate.
This year students will be able to nominate themselves or each other(bit.do/bpnominate) and a panel of judges from tournament coaches will convene to select the most creative argument used in-round.  The and presented by members of the Plunkett family at the award ceremony.  Awardees will be given a plaque and their name will be recorded on the wall of Roseville Area High School.  

Previous winners: 

2016-17 Tate Chalmers

2017-18 John Krueger

2018-19 Hayley Heine

2019-20 Isabel Brandt