TA News

Thetford Academy hosted its first debate tournament on Saturday, with 10 high school teams attending the mid-season competition. From their home “court” vantage, TA’s debaters deftly landed their arguments to earn the meet’s Sweepstakes Award. The sweepstakes award gives each team 1 point per debate and 1 extra point for a win. The school with the highest total wins, but their points are reset back to zero for the next tournament while other schools carry over. This gives all students a chance to contribute to the team award whether or not they win their own round. 

To recap, starting with the novice division, TA’s debaters Maddie Piecuch and Stone Riegler had a strong showing, placing second overall. Maddie also earned “maple syrup second” (prizes included Thetford Academy’s own maple syrup!) in speaker points. First-time debater, Ethan Roy, and his partner, Harper Grant placed third, with Harper earning “maple syrup third” place for speaker points. 

Our varsity debaters faced some tough competition, but held their own arguing the topic Resolved: The United States should substantially reduce its military support of Taiwan. Debaters Daniel Mann and Wendell Durham earned fifth overall, impressing their judge, who noted that the team “systematically broke down contentions…substantive and on point!” Hardy Payson and Brady Sloop’s team had a couple of challenging rounds, but held on to follow Mann and Durham with sixth place. Brady took 4th for speaker points.

Middle school students mixed it up, participating in three rounds of debate (cinching second place overall) and also participating the meet’s speech events. Gali Siegel-Bromberg took second overall in the poetry category, and Emmeline Saint-Fleur nabbed 4th. 

Last, and certainly not least, hosting is no small feat and we are so appreciative of everyone who helped make it happen. Thank you to our parent volunteers who stepped up to serve as judges, help with coffee and snacks, and show enthusiasm and support for our students. A special shout out, of course, goes to Thetford Academy’s volunteer coach, Radha Bhatnagar, for all of her hard work to prepare our students for success.

Thetford Academy’s debate season continues – TA will travel to South Burlington in January with a new topic for a new year!