By Steve Fitzpatrick
In mid-January, 15 students from Hackley's Upper School Debate team went on an overnight trip for a debate tournament at the Wilberforce School in Princeton, New Jersey, where they debated about originalism as a way of interpreting the constitution, government access to encrypted messaging, compulsory high school ethics courses, and whether as a society we are more innovative than past generations. Congratulations to Shreyas Kuniyil '28, who placed third; Zaira Sammi '28, who placed fifth; Rohan Monday '29, who placed eighth; Ben Iaderosa '26, who placed ninth; and Lilly Rosenthal '27, who placed tenth. Hackley as a school placed second overall in the total number of wins.
And on Saturday, Jan. 24, the Middle School Debate team competed in an exciting tournament hosted by Blind Brook Middle School. Hackley sent 11 teams, which is a huge testament to the ever-growing Middle School debate program!
- Grade 6 Novice team: Jack R., Gus E. and Theo D.
- Grade 6 Varsity teams: Hudson S., Cyrus H. and David O.; Marlowe H., Masha Z. and Sophia J.; Sasha I., Julia F. and Alice Y.; Charlotte G., Alex H. and Yena O.; Neil S., Maxwell A. and Tucker L.; Brilant M., Jun Yang W. and Martin G.; Agron K., Mia A. and Theodore B.
- Grades 7 and 8 teams: Michael C. and Fiona Y.; Ryan L. and Michael C.; and James C., Neil D. and Sophie P.
Two of Hackley's teams successfully won three out of four rounds: Ryan L. and Michael C., and James C., Neil D. and Sophie P.
Furthermore, Hackley had quite a few top speaker awards in the varsity division, including Sophia J. in fourth place, Masha Z. in seventh place, Ryan L. in 12th place and Charlie R. in 16th place. Marlowe H. also came home with the first place gavel for the top speaker award!
The team's final regular season tournament of the year will take place on Saturday, March 7, on the Hilltop. The Hornets look forward to hosting and welcoming all debaters and spectators alike!
