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MS Debate Team Wins Tournament
From Meredith MacLeod, St. Luke’s Debate Coach and Entrepreneur Teacher:
On Saturday, December 19, 2020, the St. Luke’s Middle School Debate team participated in the Fall Connecticut Middle School Tournament, the league’s first competitive tournament of the season. Held online, 300 debaters, making up 106 teams from 19 schools, debated the motion: This House believes that televised Presidential debates do more harm than good. 86 trained volunteers judged the tournament, where proposition prevailed in 55% of the rounds.
St. Luke’s participants saw great success, with one of our three-person teams winning the entire tournament. Avery Zakowich ‘25, Samantha Gerber ‘25, and Dash Gilrain-Lennon ‘25 won the Final Round on Opposition over the Bethel team. Avery was the fourth-place speaker overall.
Eighth grader Ainsley Birmingham ‘25 received high individual speaker points while working with the first-time debater, Chuck Hobson ‘25, who judges commented had strong rebuttals. Chuck's brother, Jonathan Hobson ‘21, is an Upper School debater who is proud of his brother for competing. 7th-grade debater Salman Memon ‘26 competed in his first tournament as well. His older brother Bilal was an excellent St. Luke debater and his older sister, Aisha Memon ‘21, also debates for St. Lukes’s. Andrew Eiref ‘26 observed and had a wonderful time doing the intermission virtual debate dancing.
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On Saturday, December 19, 2020, the St. Luke’s Middle School Debate team participated in the Fall Connecticut Middle School Tournament, the league’s first competitive tournament of the season. Held online, 300 debaters, making up 106 teams from 19 schools, debated the motion: This House believes that televised Presidential debates do more harm than good. 86 trained volunteers judged the tournament, where proposition prevailed in 55% of the rounds.
St. Luke’s participants saw great success, with one of our three-person teams winning the entire tournament. Avery Zakowich ‘25, Samantha Gerber ‘25, and Dash Gilrain-Lennon ‘25 won the Final Round on Opposition over the Bethel team. Avery was the fourth-place speaker overall.
Eighth grader Ainsley Birmingham ‘25 received high individual speaker points while working with the first-time debater, Chuck Hobson ‘25, who judges commented had strong rebuttals. Chuck's brother, Jonathan Hobson ‘21, is an Upper School debater who is proud of his brother for competing. 7th-grade debater Salman Memon ‘26 competed in his first tournament as well. His older brother Bilal was an excellent St. Luke debater and his older sister, Aisha Memon ‘21, also debates for St. Lukes’s. Andrew Eiref ‘26 observed and had a wonderful time doing the intermission virtual debate dancing.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
