Anyone who knows anything about debate knows that England’s Oxford University is one of the best places to receive training in the classical art. Some of the world’s best debaters, such as British Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, came from Oxford. Yet this year the Oxford team was bested by a relatively unknown Virginia team.

Two students from the upstart Patrick Henry College won a moot court case against Oxford on December 5. These students were well prepared, said Andrew Graham, master of Balliol College at Oxford, and not only that, he said that he was not surprised at their victory. Mr. Graham, in a telephone interview from his office in England, said, "It was a fine judgment and a difficult situation. There were extraordinarily impressive performances. Both teams were very polished, very professional and very well prepared."

The highly competitive debate was held over the course of three days on Oxford’s campus. It judged the eight students on a set of criteria that included court-room demeanor, debating skills, and presentation. Four of the students were from Patrick Henry, while four were from Oxford. They competed in teams of two. As the difficulty level increased, two of the VA students were eliminated, leaving Matt du Mee, 22, and Rayel Papke, 21, to win or lose the debate on their own.

They had to argue a breach of contract case about a sculptor named Mulvin Muttley, who was sued by the millionaire Foghorn Leghorn over a purple boll weevil statue. The case was, of course, fictitious.

Michael Farris, who is the founder of Patrick Henry College, said about his students’ victory: "It was exciting. Having watched a lot of rounds of moot court, I was pretty sure they won, but I'm obviously biased. To hear these two members of the highest court of Britain declare them the winners...was very encouraging."

His college, which graduated 40 students last May, is a liberal arts school founded in the fall of 2000 as a separate, tax-free institution by the Purcellville-based Home School Legal Defense Association, a nonprofit national membership organization of families who home-school their children. Many TPS families around America have benefited from the support and help of this organization. Now they are reaching beyond defense. They are conquering new horizons.

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