Speyer Debate Kicks off 2020 with Top Team Wins and Two Top Speaker Gavels!

Our very first weekend back at school, the Speyer debate team jumped right back into competition by heading north to attend a tournament at WHEELS in Washington Heights. They tackled the extremely weighty subjects of: Ban the Private Ownership of Firearms; Public Colleges and Universities Should be Free; and Parents Should Have the Right to Use Corporal Punishment at Home. Speyer Debate Coach Mr. Glasser shared all of the details:

Speyer debaters got to mix it up with 400 students from almost 50 schools from around the city. I was gratified to see many cross-school friendships forming as debaters excitedly exchanged notes and ideas after each round. 

At the end of the day, Speyer took home the first place speaker distinction in both competitive divisions! Speyer 8th grader Caitlin collected the Advanced Top Speaker's Gavel, while 7th grader Marialba obtained the Novice Top Speaker's Gavel. This was our first time (this year) winning first place in both categories at the same time and I attribute the success to the wonderful relationships we allow to form between our older and younger students. 

It is no secret that there is a clear statistical male bias in the realm of public speaking and debate, especially at the competitive level. Given that, I am proud that our girls so consistently climb to the top of the competition and show other students from a young age that they should not be held back by such stereotypes. 

In addition to Caitlin and Marialba's success, 8th graders Alden, Sasha W, Alex, Sana, and Brynn rounded out the standings with second and fifth place team finishes and top 10 speaker awards for Alex and Sana.   

Stay tuned for more Debate news coming soon! GO DRAGONS!