On October 22^nd, the newly formed Mother Teresa Regional School Debate Club participated in the inaugural debate tournament of the Garden State Middle School Debate League. Twelve of the fifteen members of the debate team participated in the tournament after a little over a month’s worth of research and preparation. Each team debated five proposition statements ranging from the education-focused topic, homework does more harm than good, to political topics such as NATO should withdraw from Afghanistan. Teams had to be prepared to either agree with the proposition statement or oppose the statement with only 20 minutes to prepare their arguments. The teams then debated the topics with teams from other schools in front of a judge and audience. The MTRS debate club was definitely up to the challenge winning many of their debates with their solid research and quick thinking.

Christina, Shane and Kendel show their debate trophies. 

The club’s success was rewarded at the end of the day when six of our students were included in the awards for the top 12 individual speakers of the day. Congratulations to Rachel Kovach, Valicia Stoeckel, Kahryn Henry, Gabriela Compagni, Shane Dolan, and Christina Noll who took home this honor. In addition, the debate team of Shane Dolan, Kendel Higgins, and Christina Noll placed second overall. Debate team moderator, Mrs. Katey Patrizio, said, “I am extremely proud of the debaters. These students stood in front of their parents and peers and argued challenging topics, and they did so with confidence. Watching the students get excited about working together and learning made the tournament very rewarding for me. I can’t wait until our next one.” The next tournament will be January 28 at Red Bank Charter School.

For more information on Mother Teresa Regional School visit mtregional.com or call (732) 291-1050.