Jersey UDL Founder Brent Farrand Wins Prestigious Governor’s Award

The Jersey Urban Debate League (JUDL) Advisory Board and Alumni hosted a reception honoring Mr. Brent Farrand in celebration of his 2007 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Arts Education.  Diana Dunker, Chair of the JUDL Advisory Board, explains, “Mr. Farrand’s selection for this prestigious award is an acknowledgement of his ceaseless commitment to debate in Newark and its surrounding communities.  Under his leadership, debate has grown from a few small teams at select high schools to a city-wide program offering debate to students from grades 6 through 12.” 

Brent Farrand founded the JUDL in 2001 and has served as its Director ever since.  He is employed full time by the Newark Public Schools as a Mathematics Resource Teacher/Coordinator.  Mr. Farrand also founded the nationally successful debate program at Newark Science.  He has coached high school debate since 1979, heading a coaching staff that has compiled 20 consecutive state championships. 

According to the State of New Jersey’s Department of Education, the Governor’s Awards are designed to honor educators and administrators in education who have demonstrated excellence, commitment, and exceptional leadership.  Individuals who receive the award have demonstrated accomplishment through the program’s originality, extended geographic reach, and lasting impact.

These criteria both correspond to and understate the contribution Mr. Farrand has made to the schools and students of New Jersey.  Roger Leon, now the Assistant Superintendent of the secondary School Leadership Team in Newark and the 1985 and 1987 New Jersey State Debate Champion, Science High School, discusses the UDL’s relevance:  “Because I was a high school debater, I know the value of debate in stimulating and enriching the intellectual development of a student.  That is why I am so excited that the Jersey Urban Debate League will be offering the debate experience to hundreds of high school students across the city of Newark.”  Mr. Farrand’s own words speak to his vision:  “There are youth eager for the exhilaration of academic competition in every New Jersey urban middle and high school.  It is Jersey Urban Debate League’s (JUDL) mission to find them, offer them the opportunity of competitive academic debate and provide them with the intellectual and argumentative tools necessary for success.”

The NAUDL congratulates Mr. Farrand and the JUDL for this honor.