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WOODWARD ACADEMY • CREATE YOUR OWN PATHIn high school, Maggie Berthiaume came along for the ride when her best friend’s mom forced her to join the debate team. For Bill Batterman, debate was a substitute for baseball after he was sidelined by an injury. Neither of them ever looked back. Debate became a passion, and today Maggie and Bill are leading one of the country’s best debate teams at Woodward Academy.Creating a national-caliber debate program requires resources as well as top-notch faculty. Maggie chose to teach at Woodward because it’s more supportive of debate than other schools. “There are a lot of programs that are either constantly fundraising or where students can only debate if their parents can aord hefty competition and travel fees. Woodward’s support means that we can field our best and most prepared teams.”Upper School debaters take a class every semester and practice after school two days a week. The calendar runs from September to May, averaging two tournaments a month. Students spend their weekends o doing research, travel nationally to tournaments, and often attend summer debate institutes. It can be a grueling schedule, but the payo is much more than a trophy. Debaters learn critical thinking, research, and communication skills and spend hundreds of hours learning about their topics. “Debate has all of the energy and competitiveness of a sport or video game, but it’s also a high-level academic endeavor,” Maggie said. “There aren’t a lot of other activities like it.”Debate at Woodward+ State champions four consecutive years, a Georgia record.+ Won or reached finals of every major national tournament they’ve attended, including the National Debate Coaches Association National Championships, the Greenhill Fall Classic, the St. Mark’s Heart of Texas, and many more.+ Top senior team from 2016-2017 achieved a perfect 40-0 record in preliminary debates, a state and national record. Building the Best inHigh School DebateCREATE YOUR OWN PATHAT WOODWARD ACADEMYTo learn more about Woodward and the vast options available for students to create their own path, visit us at woodward.edu.

WOODWARD ACADEMY • CREATE YOUR OWN PATH“Debate is as rewarding for teachers as it is for students. Not only do I get to make my living by learning about important public policy issues, but I also get to learn cooperatively and competitively with some of the brightest young people in America.” BILL BATTERMANMaggie Berthiaume, director of debate, and Bill Batterman, assistant directorWOODWARD ACADEMY • CREATE YOUR OWN PATH