Carolina’s civil discourse history shines during high school debate championships

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The signature light blue and white color combination that’s defined Carolina’s athletic events for more than a century has its roots in another type of competition: debate.

When the Tar Heels took the field for their first football game in 1888, the Carolina Blue and white they wore were the same as those used by the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies – Carolina’s debating organizations. 230 years after those organizations formed, the activities of debate and civic discourse remain a critical component of campus life.

“Our founders believed that our role was not just to create scholars, but also to create effective citizens,” said Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “And part of that is the ability to have a constructive dialogue with almost anybody, no matter what their opinions are, no matter how much you might differ.”

That emphasis on civil discourse made Carolina the perfect location to host the 50th Tarheel Forensic League State Championships and dozens of high school debate teams from all parts of North Carolina. The weekend event drew 350 students from 35 high schools to campus.

“When my team heard that we were going to be at UNC-Chapel Hill, 20 hands shot up and said, ‘Oh, we’re definitely coming to this,’” said Simone Valkov, a debate team member and senior at Cuthbertson High School in Waxhaw. “Actually being able to be on campus, seeing the classrooms and interacting with some of the individuals here was such an amazing experience.”

Simone Valkov of Cuthbertson High School in Waxhaw celebrates after being named state champion in her category during the Tarheel Forensic League’s state championships on Carolina’s campus on March 23, 2026. (Rob Holliday/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Hosting the tournament is another chapter in Carolina’s longstanding mission to create a culture where ideas are debated openly and honestly, with a focus on mutual respect even when there’s deep disagreement. The creation of the UNC School of Civic Life and Leadership in 2023 is one of the more recent examples of that commitment. The school plans to host more events in the coming months that are designed for North Carolina’s high school students.

“At the School of Civic Life and Leadership, we teach students civil discourse and deliberation,” said Jed Atkins, the school’s dean. “It makes a lot of sense, given our mission, to be able to open up our campus to young people who are practicing those skills that are so important to a flourishing democracy.”

Jed Atkins, dean of the UNC School of Civic Life and Leadership, speaks to debate participants, their coaches and families during the Tarheel Forensic League’s state championships on Carolina’s campus on March 23, 2026. (Rob Holliday/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Those principles, presenting an argument rooted in facts and doing so in a reasoned, respectful manner, are ones Kai Forbach, a senior at Durham Academy and a member of his school’s debate team, now follows routinely — even when he’s not participating in a competition.

“Being able to draw the connections, draw the warrants between why a statistic exists and how it supports what you’re saying, is what I find really key,” Forbach said. “And that has helped me in my own personal life as well, not just in analyzing policy and international politics, but also when explaining why I want to make a certain decision in a group project. It’s helped me solve disputes civilly, and I’m really thankful for that.”

“What we have to do is understand that the person on the other side of the aisle is another human who’s going through the exact same things we are,” said Crawford Leavoy, the Chair of the Tarheel Forensics League and the Director of Speech and Debate at Durham Academy. “We have to be able to reach out, to lift that person up when they are down, and this idea that they’ll lift us up when we are down. Teaching civics skills is vital to the republic.”

Kai Forbach of Durham Academy prepares for his upcoming debate competition during the Tarheel Forensic League’s state championships on Carolina’s campus on March 23, 2026. (Rob Holliay/UNC-Chapel Hill)