By Steve Fitzpatrick
Hackley’s Middle School Debate team had a great start to the season at the Ethical-Culture Fieldston School, and the Upper School Debate team continued its successful season with an excellent showing at the HSPDP tournament hosted at Dwight School, both on Nov. 15.
Our seventh and eighth grade debaters took the lead on helping the sixth graders throughout the day, as it was their first time in varsity.
Hackley sent seven teams:
- The two teams in seventh and eighth grade were Charlie R., Michael C. and Ryan L.; and Sophie P., James C. and Neil D.
- The five teams in sixth grade were Alice Y., David O. and Yina Q.; Brilant M., Neil S. and Jun Yang W.; Marlowe H., Masha Z. and Sophia J.; Tucker L., Maxwell A. and Cyrus H.; and Theodore B., Agron K. and Mia A.
Two teams successfully won three out of four rounds: Charlie R., Michael C. and Ryan L.; and Marlow H., Masha Z. and Sophia J. Furthermore, Charlie R., Michael C. and Ryan L. placed third overall, which was an amazing achievement.
Meanwhile, the Upper School Debate team captain Ben Iaderosa ’26 helped coordinate the team’s preparation and supported competitors throughout the HSPDP event.
Hackley fielded five teams: Teddy Wang ’27, Sofia Iaderosa ’28 and Jack Wilkins ’28; Kubrick Croce ’28, Patrick Flores ’28 and Noah Harris ’28; Max Michael ’27, Rohan Monday ’29 and Zaira Sammi ’28; Lilly Rosenthal ’27, Leena Sheikh ’29 and Jordan Silverman ’29; and Charlie Napach ’27, Theodore Anderson ’27 and Jackson Finkler ’29.
It was a strong outing across the board, with four Hackley teams earning two wins. A standout performance came from Max Michael ’27, Rohan Monday ’29 and Zaira Sammi ’28, who earned four wins, marking one of Hackley’s strongest results of the season.
Students interested in competing should remember to sign up for upcoming events as the season continues.
