On Tuesday, April 16, a small group of South Windsor students traveled to the Old State House in Hartford for the last debate competition of the year. In those hallowed halls where Noah Webster and Prudence Crandall once hashed out issues, the Bobcats had a more than successful outing.
Teams at this tournament were given a resolution that is important to the states current atmosphere to argue one, ‘should CT exempt low income housing from zoning laws’. Teams were provided sources prior to the debate, allowing them to have time for their own research and bring everything they have to fight.
“A formal debate really helps students understand a topic logically. It isn’t about winning and losing, it is really about learning,” advisor to the debate club, Mrs. Price, explained when talking about the competition with The Prowl.
Her students showed that they were not only prepared with the material, but had a true talent for the art of debate. Using expert skill and fantastic wordplay, two of South Windsor High School’s teams made it to the finals of the tournament.
These teams worked to provide South Windsor with an extremely impressive 1-2 finish.
The team to come out on top of this all Bobcat showdown featured juniors Meera Kannan and Smriti Rajan, with the team of freshmen Anoushka Das and Pooravi Srivastava crowned the runner-ups.
“I think the debate was a wonderful experience to further expand my debating skills and just expose myself into competition; it was really difficult to get to that point. There was extensive research and a lot of preparation involved, and it honestly was really shocking that we got so far,” Das said, catching up with The Prowl after her first season debating as a Bobcat.
“Our students knew what they were talking about. I was in awe of them,” Price commented, “[and] it is pretty amazing, [especially] because Anoushka and Pooravi are freshman.”
Despite a victor having to be crowned, there was all love between the competing Bobcats.
“When they announced the winner, the junior team went over to the freshman team and hugged them. That is our kids. They are just very supportive of one another,” Price explained.
As the team looks on to future years, the talented youth will be returning with winning experience going forward. The future remains bright for the debating Bobcats, as they celebrate this tournament and look forward to upcoming seasons.
