Mia Speier Advances to State Debate Tournament

By Mckenna Henrickson ‘17

The end of the season for the Speech and Debate Team is nearing and qualifying tournaments, which allow students to compete at the state level, have been in full swing nation wide. This year the qualifying tournament for Lincoln Douglas Debate in California was on Saturday, February 27th. The topic discussed was “Resolved: The United States ought to promote democracy in the Middle East.”

The affirmative argued that the United States has a moral obligation to promote democracy in the the Middle East, especially because many people living there suffer under repressive regimes. Conversely, the negative had to assert that promoting democracy in the Middle East causes too much chaos and anti-American sentiment in the region. Essentially the Middle East is best left untouched.

In the qualifying tournament, the Immaculate Heart team made a strong showing. Our debaters competed against the most competitive teams in Los Angeles, like the Brentwood School and Pacific Palisades High School, and they were able to proclaim a debate victory over many of these teams. The IH team did very well with almost all of our debaters moving past preliminary rounds.

In the end, sophomore Mia Speier placed first and was league champion (going undefeated). She will now represent Immaculate Heart High School at the California State Tournament. For her debate performance, junior Cameron Hendrickson secured the first alternate spot. Congratulations to both students, and good luck Mia!