Thank you to the hundreds of students from around the world who participated in the AMLE Great Middle School Student Voice Off! We loved hearing your perspectives on two issues that impact daily middle school life: homework and dress codes.
The following students have been selected as semi-finalists to represent their PRO/CON arguments LIVE during the #AMLE21 conference. We encourage you to support them by attending the opening General Session on Thursday, November 4 at 6:00 pm ET as they present their arguments live. Two finalists will be chosen to participate in the final found on Sunday, November 7 at 12:30 pm ET.
CON: Should there be homework in middle school?
Madison Lane, Grade 8
Byron Middle School
Byron, IL
Teacher Sponsor: Ashley McGarry
CON: Should there be dress codes in middle school?
Megha Shankri, Grade 8
Branchburg Central Middle School
Branchburg, NJ
Teacher Sponsor: Suzanne Updegrove
PRO: Should there be dress codes in middle school?
Katie Chung, Grade 7
Partnership Middle School
Starkville, MS
Teacher Sponsor: Allyn Williams
PRO: Should there be homework in middle school?
Riley Sipe, Grade 6
Sutton Middle School
Atlanta, GA
Teacher Sponsor: Sarah Eley
While we had to select only four semi-finalists, there were a few additional submissions that have been selected as honorable mentions and will be highlighted during #AMLE21.
CON: Should there be homework in middle school?
Dennis Vogel, Grade 8
Upper Moreland Middle School
Hatboro, PA
Teacher Sponsor: Karen Hanssens
CON: Should there be homework in middle school?
Josephine O’Connor, Grade 8
Upper Moreland Middle School
Hatboro, PA
Teacher Sponsor: Karen Hanssens
CON: Should there be dress codes in middle school?
Chloe Park, Grade 8
Korea International School, Jeju Campus
Seogwipo, South Korea
Teacher Sponsor: Lucas Dines
CON: Should there be homework in middle school?
Gabriella Irani Fey, Grade 8
American School of Paris
Saint Cloud, France
PRO: Should there be homework in middle school?
Julia Polit, Grade 6
St. Charles Middle School
Bloomington, IN
Teacher Sponsor: Tori Arther
The semi-final round will be conducted during the #AMLE21 Annual Conference opening General Session on November 4 from 6:00 – 7:00 pm ET. The platform will be Zoom Webinar.
The topic will be the same as the one originally submitted. A coin toss will determine which participant will go first for each topic.
Each participant will have 3 minutes to articulate their position and 4 minutes to respond to judges’ questions. A 10 second grace period will be awarded all participants. Participants may be penalized at the discretion of the judges if they go over the time limit.
The judges will convene in a separate meeting space to assess each student’s performance and will select the top two finalists to proceed to the final found of competition. The judges’ decision is final.
The finalists will be given a new topic and will be randomly assigned a pro/con position following their selection on November 4th. The final round will be held on November 7 at 11:05 am during the final #AMLE21 General Session.
The final round will be conducted in the same format as the semi-final round, with the exception that the student will have 4 minutes to articulate their position and 5 minutes to respond to judges questions. The winner of Voice Off will be announced at the conclusion of the General Session on November 7th.
Each participant will be awarded as follows:
In addition, each semi-finalist student’s educator sponsor will receive complimentary registration to the #AMLE21 virtual conference, a year of AMLE professional membership, and a complimentary registration to #AMLE22 Annual Conference to be held in Orlando, Florida.
All educator sponsors will receive a complimentary copy of The Successful Middle School: This We Believe, AMLE tote, and $100 off the cost of registration to #AMLE21.
All participants agree to abide by the following rules:
How would you like to contribute to #AMLE21 while also hearing a multitude of student perspectives on these important topics? We’re looking for volunteers to participate in the first-round grading of submissions. The commitment is approximately 2 hours and will be completed the second week of October. Volunteers will earn an AMLE Volunteer badge to add to your professional profile. Sign up today