Shawnee high school students representing the Gordon Cooper Technology Center (GCTC) Biomedical Debate Team have been named the State Champion in the Biomedical Debate competition at the Oklahoma HOSA–Future Health Professionals State Leadership Conference. Their outstanding performance has earned them a spot at the upcoming HOSA International Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, this June.
The winning team includes Annaliese Price and Manuela Parada of Shawnee High School and Cameron Black and Hope Streater from North Rock Creek High School. Together, they represented GCTC in the Biomedical Debate competition, which challenges students to articulate and defend positions on complex biomedical issues.
This year's debate topic was: "Should the government have control over the social media of American citizens 17 years of age and younger?" Teams were required to prepare arguments for both the affirmative and negative positions, three speeches per side—a first speech, a second speech, and a rebuttal—each limited to two minutes. The side each team would argue was only revealed upon entering the competition room, testing their adaptability and depth of understanding.
Despite the high-pressure format, the GCTC team demonstrated exceptional research, critical thinking, and public speaking skills, earning them first place in the state and a ticket to the HOSA International Leadership Conference this summer.
The Shawnee community proudly supports these students as they prepare to represent Oklahoma on the international stage.