Capitol Page School - Congressional Yearbook (Washington, DC)

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THE CAPITOL DEBATE CLUB l l l Left to right, rear row: Messrs. G. Kersten, H. Paris, D. Smith, T. Jones, F. Else, Mr. Kramer, Director, J. Campbell, R. Ruvell, L. Wattay, J. Baker, B. Bendit. Left to right, front row: Messrs. T. McEnroe, O. Furlong, B. Palmer, R. Haefs, M. Harrison, R. Hansel, C. Chavarria, J. Trask, R. Harper. Mr, President, l object! Objection is heard. Excerpts from The Congressional Record ? Perhaps. They might also be a couple of sen- tences selected at random from the fiery flow of parliamentary oratory upon which the De- bate Clubs thrive. For if you ever think de- bates are sharp and heated on the Floor of either House, it would be well for you to listen for a brief moment to the great furor which constitutes the Debate Clubs, the hotbed of political activity and parliamentary maneuvre in Capitol Page School. The Debate Club was founded in October, l947, with eight original members. lt grew fast and furiously, until by February, 1948, it had a total membership of twenty-nine stu- dents. A governing Constitution was ratified, later radically amended, and the standard rules of procedure for the U. S. House of Representatives were followed, with all their points of order , parliamentary inquiries , and assorted little tricks of the trade. Marion Harrison was elected President for the first semester, to serve with him the fol- lowing persons were elected to office: Vice President Robert Hughes, Secretary Richard Haefs, Treasurer Charles Chavarria, Sergeant- at Arms John Trask, and Parliamentarian Robert Hansel. A Committee on Rules was appointed to handle the flow of business com- ing up, with Bruce Palmer as Chairman. A Committee on Un-American Activities was al- so created, 'though many people still wonder the why and wherefore! Several debates were held within the Club, but the greater part of the semester was spent in parliamentary debates. The Constitution was amended and re-amended so many times, officers were created and abolished with mo- mentous furor, and an atmosphere of tense political warfare was always quite evident. However, all the members learned a lot. They learned more about parliamentary pro- cedure and political rivalry than a thousand textbooks could ever teach. For most of the members, whose interests are primarily politi- cal, the first semester was a peephole into

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The Student Council -By Tommy V. Swafford The Capitol Page School Student Council was established in 1944, and until this year has been composed of seven members, three elected at large,'and the remaining four be- ing the presidents of the four classes. However, the school year 1947-48 saw a change, the Council being composed of only five members, one elected from each class and one elected at large. For the first term the Councilmen were as follows! Tommy V. Swafford-Councilman-at-Large Royal T. Squires-Senior Class Paul Traver-Junior Class Dan J. Skubitz-Sophomore ,Class B. Mac Hess-Freshman Class The elections for this term of office were, to say the least, quite stormy. Campaigning was conducted on a fast and furious basis, and it was necessary to hold run-offs in sev- eral cases. Everybody in the School practically was either a candidate or some type of cam- paign manager, an independent being someone virtually unknown. However, the re- sults came through as listed above, and in spite of a grumbling minority, the Councilmen took office, and the Council proceeded with its functions. The two purposes of the Student Council are to provide social entertainment for the student body and to develop a sense of self- responsibility among the individual students. The Council acts as a five-man liason between the Clubs and the classes, and, while without specifically designated legislative power, man- ages School activities in general. The first event planned by the Council was a hayride, but due to the lack of funds these plans were cancelled. A Council constitution was written and pre- sented to the members by the Councilman-at- Large, but after a brief discussion, it was de- cided that such a constiution was unnecessary. Since then the Council has functioned without any definite governing law. As a means of establishing a Council fund, school supplies were purchased and resold through the office to the students at a profit. Thus the groundwork was laid for a treasury. Robert Curtis offered the Council the use of the recreation room in his home for a party, which offer the Council gratefully accepted. A gala party was planned, with refreshments, dancing, and so forth. Seventy-five cents ad- mission had to be charged to maintain costs. The Council during the first semester laid the foundation for future councils, since it was the first council in Capitol Page School to operate under the new school supervision of the District of Columbia Public Schools with a completely new membership arrangement. The elections for the second term were pre- ceded by the same hotly contested political activities which preceded that of the earlier elections. After an unusually prolonged and rather bitter campaign on the part of almost all the candidates, the elections resulted in the following persons being elected: John C. Trask-Councilman-at-Large Robert J. Hughes-Senior Class Robert Hansel--Junior Class Robert Curtis-Sophomore Class Charles N. Chavarria-Freshman Class Councilman Swafford did not seek re-elec- tion, and Councilman Squires was graduated in February, eliminating his candidacy also. So, with an entirely new Council, new plans and new ideas were brought forth. A point system was established whereby persons with one hundred or more points became eligible to receive a School letter. Points could be achieved by activity in sports, Council, class, or club office, The Congressional staff, or for outstanding scholastic achievement. The exact table of points is, at the time The Congressional goes to press, under con- sideration for a few slight revisions, so it shall not be listed here. The Council also met with the pages who were on the Vox Pop program to decide the future of the one hundred dollars which the School received from that program since it was found that sum was not sufficient for a banquet as originally contemplated. The -dis- posal of the money has not yet been decided upon. The Student Council has provided an in- teresting and necessary self-governing activity in Capitol Page School. The many tense politi- cal campaigns which have focused on it and the Debate Club have been a source of much practical experience for the pages, many of whom have political ambitions themselves. The Council, in its small way, exemplifies the American spirit of representative government.

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THE CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE CLUB Left to right, rear row: Messrs. J. Brosmer, R. Dunn, J. Sumo, C. Campbell, Mr. Fowler, Director, W. Miller, E. C ' M. A l J. Barrett. - ummings, m ang, Left to right, front row: Messrs. R. Nisson, E. Ruf, E. Schade, D. Breadon, R. Hughes, R. Darling, M. Hess. the great arena of life. As conclusive proof of the great interest manifested in the Debate Club, when classes and clubs were reorganized at the opening of the second semester in February, almost forty students wished to join the Club. The Principal partitioned the Club into two separate and independent units, with an opening member- ship of twenty in each. One Club, organizing under the name of the Capii-ol Debate Club, elected the old Presi- dent, Judge Harrison, to a second term in of- fice as presiding officer. With him they elect- ed a ticket, as follows: Vice President Robert Hansel, Secretary Richard Haefsg Treasurer Charles Chavarriag Sergeant-at-Arms John Trask, and Parliamentarian Bruce Palmer. All these officers were, incidentally, unanimously elected. The Club, continuing under the very able sponsorship of Mr. Kramer, proceeded to organize itself, creating several committees, and planning many debates. The other debate organization organized itself under the sponsorship of Mr. Fowler. At the time of this writing, officers have not yet been elected. . Both Clubs, as the year went on, debated among themselves, and debated each other. Internal strife within each individual Club seemed to have lessened, 'though rivalry be- tween the two remained intense all year long. The Capitol Debate Club, at the time your yearbook goes to press, is organizing to de- bate other schools in and around Washington. It has also approved legislation providing for selection of a Club pin. It is, of course, only to be anticipated that such activities as Debate Clubs would natur- ally be a great success in a school where prac- tically everyone is a politician. Such anticipa- tions were well carried out, for debating has proven itself one of the major extra-curricular activities of the boys in Capitol Page School. -M. E. H.