SUMMA: A Student Theological Debate Society

SUMMA Camp 2012
July 22-30
University of the South; Sewanee, TN

Forty-nine high school students from the greater Little Rock area, Conway, and Jackson, MS boarded buses and loaded in cars July 22 bound for Sewanee, TN for the first-ever SUMMA Camp.

Excitement was high at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Little Rock as luggage was unloaded from cars and re-loaded into two motorcoaches, along with mountains of notebooks for the week's seminars, sports equipment, Bibles and ice chests, along with SUMMA t-shirts, personalized water bottles, rubber ducks, and silver tournament trophies.

SUMMA theological debaters, along with 22 adult leaders coming from as far as Washington, D.C., spent the following week at the University of the South participating in introductory classes in three core areas of reasoning, theology, and debate. Sessions were taught by the Rev. Christoph Keller, Th.D., Director of SUMMA and of the Institute for Theological Studies at St. Margaret's.

A variety of free time activities - including games, swimming, and sports - were offered each day, along with evening activities such as movies, a talent show, bowling, and a dance.

Two YouTube videos about our camp experience are currently online (with more videos and photos to come):

SUMMA 2012 - An early report

SUMMA 2012 - Tournament preparation, fun, worship

SUMMA 2012 - Video Yearbook

Camp culminated in a tournament in which all students debated the proposition "Capital punishment is morally justified" - both affirmative and negative.

Annie Meek, a junior from Central High School in Little Rock, was winner of the tournament. Karnessia Georgetown, a sophomore from St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Jackson, MS was finalist in the tournament, and recipent of the SUMMA Prize given to the student who best exemplified St. Paul's admonition to "speak the truth in love." (Eph. 4:15).