Her palms sweaty and knees weak, she stands and walks to the podium. She has waited for this moment since she found out she would be participating. What will the community members think about students discussing such a hot-button issue? After taking a deep breath, Sarah Havens begins to speak.

The debate team hosted an on-stage debate November 3 in the Performing Arts Center regarding the current wet/dry alcohol sales issue. The debate was held to educate community members and to raise money for the debate team.

“From our perspective, this is a really big issue in the community and it seems to have created a lot of division,” debate coach Rory Mckenzie said. “We did this as a way to provide information and unite the community again.”

Sarah Havens, Emma Johnsen, and Griffon James spoke for the wet side, while Colton Parker, Cody Gustafson, and Alec Ramsey spoke for the dry side. The ballot items included one which would allow for the sale of beer and wine for off-premise consumption in grocery stores and gas stations. The second proposition related to the sale of mixed beverages for businesses with a permit.

“We are doing this the day before the election,” said Mckenzie. “It gives us a great opportunity to educate the community and show the community that even though some of our students aren’t able to vote, they still have good thoughts.”

The booster club and parents of debate members organized and helped with the event.

“With the wet/dry issue coming up,” said Mckenzie. “It seemed like a really great opportunity to show off what our debate team does.

UPDATE: Both alcohol sales propositions passed with 58 percent of voters for the sale of beer and wine, and 65.6 percent of voters for the mixed beverages proposition.