Wellington High School’s debate program fared extremely well at the inaugural National Civics and Debate Championship tournament held earlier this month in Orlando.
The tournament — the program’s first out-of-area competition in more than 20 months — saw 10 Red Dawn Debaters compete in four different events, which dealt with civics-related topics.
In Congressional Debate, out of 130 competitors, Ray Estevez placed fifth and Lauren Beer took seventh. In addition, Jason Miller placed 19th. In Impromptu Speaking, Samuel Johnson took eighth place and Ray Estevez placed 15th.
In Extemporaneous Debate, Jason Miller went 6-0 and took ninth place, while in Extemporaneous Sports Analysis, Samuel Johnson finished fourth overall. As a team, Wellington placed sixth in the overall tournament sweepstakes.
Lauren Beer, Colin Gibson and Jason Miller each earned their Degree of Distinction, hitting or surpassing 250 National Speech & Debate Association honor points. Tatyana Guillaume passed the 150-point level, earning the Degree of Excellence. Simran Josan passed 75 points, earning her Degree of Honor and her varsity letter.
