World Schools debaters finish fifth in national competition

The Dripping Springs High School World Schools Debate team of Jackson Berthelsen, Colton De Los Santos, Liam Ianiro, Will McAdams, and Alexander Seshan tied for fifth at the National Speech & Debate Tournament held last month in Des Moines, Iowa.

Competing under the name Heart of Texas Gold, the students advanced to round 11 of 13 to record the highest nationals finish in school history in a main event. A total of 198 teams competed, representing all 50 states and seven countries. The students qualified for nationals after competing at the Heart of Texas District Tournament in March.

World Schools Debate is a three-on-three format. Teams are assigned one of two sides in each round - either the government team proposing the motion or the opposition team advocating the rejection of the motion. Debaters present their position on a topic, refute their opponents and respond to questions throughout the course of the debate.