The Chenango Valley High School Debate Club's first annual Winter Classic Tournament excitement is underway. Each round includes a randomly selected topic and a coin flip to choose positions. Two students get two minutes to prep and then two minutes each to share their stance on the podium in front of their peers and judges. Stay tuned to see who makes it to the championship in January! Great work by all!
After a series of intellectually stimulating rounds, the excitement continued as the semifinals were held on January 18. Congratulations to Alexander Rzeszot, Jennings Terrell, Sterling Terrell, and Holden David for making it to this round – certainly no easy feat!
Semifinals
All four semifinalists gave outstanding performances with topics including four day school weeks and college tuition rates. The judges used rubrics to make the challenging decision of who would move on to the next round.
Ultimately, Jennings and Holden advanced to the finals. The final round, held on January 30, saw Mr. Arthur’s classroom with standing room only as the two finalists engaged in a debate on the topic of a federal ban on cell phone use in schools. In the end, Holden was declared the champion and received the coveted “trophy,” a blazer courtesy of Mr. Arthur. Both participants, however, were commended for their exceptional performance and sportsmanship.
This tournament showed a great display of the adaptability and quick thinking of all the students involved.