DeBakey’s debate team started their season well with their very first HUDL tournament of the year. For the students, this meant balancing hours of homework with late nights for prepping, but their hard work definitely paid off.
The tournament, which is one of several that lead up to the City Championships, brought together schools from all over Houston. It was a chance for DeBakey students to finally put weeks of preparation to the test and see how they measured up against some tough competition.
In Varsity Lincoln-Douglas (LD) debate, Raheem Khokhar earned 5th place, a big achievement since LD is one of the hardest events. LD is 1v1 based format and often focused on ethics or philosophical topics, so it takes a lot of critical thinking. Not bad for one of Raheem’s first tournaments.
Hansita Manyam and I competed in Varsity Public Forum (PF) debate, where we placed 3rd. PF is a two person event that deals with current events and requires a lot of teamwork and strategy.
The Varsity World Schools (WS) debate teams also had great results. This event is different because teams debate on global issues and only get 30 minutes to prep for some rounds, so being flexible is important. The team of Phoebe Amakiri, Shailee Mahajan, Haasini Veerakumar, and Shania Fernandes earned 4th place, while Mahika Joshi and Sophia Hernandez placed 3rd. “This isn’t just about winning,” said Shania. “It’s about learning how to communicate and think critically, which are skills we’ll need no matter what we do.”
Sophia agreed, adding, “Balancing homework and extracurriculars like debate can be tough, but it’s worth it. It helps us become better communicators, which is going to be very important in our future careers.”
For a school like DeBakey, where students are swamped with assignments and studying, it is something more than just another activity. Students can step out of the normal routine, connect with each other, and build skills that will matter far beyond high school.
With our first tournament behind us, our team is excited to see what the rest of the season will bring. We have a lot to look forward to as we continue the journey toward the City Championships.
