Fifteen Manchester Essex debaters traveled to Harvard from
February 16 -18 for the university’s annual high school debate tournament. The
students were accompanied by coaches Jessica Tran and Jennifer Coleman. Six
Public Forum teams, three Lincoln-Douglas debaters, and congressional debaters
competed. In Public Forum, sophomores Parker Malarkey and Natasha Statz-Geary
advanced to break rounds, an astounding feat for participating in a tournament
with hundreds of Public Forum teams.
Malarkey and Statz-Geary left with an impressive 5-2 record. Similarly,
sophomore Nick Albertazzi broke in Lincoln-Douglas, also leaving the tournament
with a 5-2 record.
Also earning honorable mentions, sophomores Meghan Conway
and Olivia Bonaccorso and freshmen Jenny Cochand and Charlie Davis earned 4-2
records in Public Forum and sophomore William Kiley left with a 4-2 record in
Lincoln-Douglas. Others who participated at the tournament include: Zach Even,
Julia Mitrano, Jack Haynie, Maren Corrigan, Aisling Batchelder, Winston
Feuerbach, Jack Hay, Lucas Martz, Landon Komishane, Erik Rajunas, Ben Gonzales,
David Reid, and Connor Senay.
At the Mardi Gras Tournament held at Shrewsbury High School
this past Saturday, four representatives from Manchester Essex earned high
recognition. Nick Albertazzi placed second in Lincoln-Douglas, a very
impressive feat for a sophomore. Three underclassmen advanced to break rounds in
Group Discussion. Freshmen Oscar Heanue and Charlie Davis made it to
semi-finals and teammate Jack Haynie placed fifth overall.
In Lincoln-Douglas, sophomore William Kiley earned a
respectable 3-1 record while sophomore Jack Hay left with an even, 2-2 record.
Sophomores Cameron Holley and Hannah Riordan did exceptionally well at the
tournament, leaving with three wins and two losses. Freshman Zachary Even led
the team in Congressional debate, earning 23 NFL points. A total of thirty-one
students represented Manchester Essex at the Mardi Gras Tournament.
This week, the team will be preparing for the National
Catholic Forensics League Qualifying Tournament which will be held at
Shrewsbury High School on Sunday following National Forensic League Qualifiers
for Congress on Saturday. Once again, the team thanks all supporters of the
program for making its successes possible.