Spring US and MS Debate Roundup

On Saturday, April 8th, 3 Hackley students competed in the final Parliamentary debate tournament of the new HSPDP league. Sabrina F. Lily N. and Kireeti J. debated 4 rounds on 4 separate topics at Norwalk Community College against teams from New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York.

Next year, Hackley will again anchor the new Parli league for HS debaters to compete in four tournaments over the course of the year.

On Saturday, April 22nd, eighteen MS debaters competed in an event at Hackley, the final MS regular season debate event of the season. Numerous MS students earned individual and team awards and Hackley came in first place overall for the total number of debate victories. It was an excellent way to cap the end of a season that saw over 60 Hackley MS students debate in the league!

On Sunday, April 23rd, six debaters traveled to Claremont California to compete in the High School Parliamentary Debate Championship tournament for the first time. 8th graders Lily N. and Sabrina F. worked with freshman Alexandra Evangelidis and freshman Jack Rosenthal and Kireeti Josyula teamed up with junior Max Tannenbaum. Both teams won 2 of their 4 debates and earned a 5th place school award, a strong showing for our first time competing in the event. Sabrina F. earned a top speaker award as well, an extraordinary achievement for an 8th grader competing against HS students!

In Public Forum debate, sophomores Matt Fisch and Ella Zaslow competed at the NY state competition at Hofstra University! Additionally, seniors Matt Bonanno, Owen Friesen, Seth Tillis, and Connor Wilke, along with sophomores Philip Bonanno and Tucker Wilke, traveled to Kentucky to debate at the prestigious Tournament of Champions. This competition is considered the supreme national tournament since students must qualify for it by doing well at preceding tournaments, so even participating is truly an honor for our debaters! Each of the three partnerships finished with a 3-4 record after some strong performances and close defeats. This tournament was bittersweet as it marked the end of our seniors’ careers in debate. We wish them the best as they prepare for college, and we look forward to next season!

This past Saturday, May 6th, eighteen MS debaters traveled to the Barkalow MS in Freehold, New Jersey for the culminating year end Championship tournament. With 90 teams in the field, Hackley once again proved its dominance by earning the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place spots (as the only undefeated teams in the tournament), with the team of Zach & Zara Y. and Sid S. in the top spot, Kiri F., Hannah O., and Sophie T. in 2nd place, and Arav M., Alex G., and Ishaan R. in 3rd. The team of Lily N., Lara S., and Audrey P. also had an exceptional day with a 4-1 record. Zach, Sid, and Zara earned the 2nd, 5th, and 7th place top speaker awards out of almost 270 individual debaters. Hackley also earned a top school award with the total number of debate victories earned over the course of the day.

Though our team lost the Grand Final debate in a split decision against a tough Dalton team, this was the third straight season a Hackley team reached the final, an extraordinary achievement. Overall, it was an exceptional day for our strong MS debaters and a terrific way to conclude the season!