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Students Sean O’Neil and Carolyn Zech claimed a victory during the intense and long-winded competition, which was organized by the Connecticut Debate Association (CDA).
A total of 48 two-person teams participated in the competition. At 9 a.m., the topic was revealed - debaters were required to answer the questions, “Should the Supreme Court be significantly reformed?”
Teams were required to advocate for both sides throughout the day while relying solely on their prior knowledge; no online research is allowed.
After the three preliminary rounds, seven out of the 48 teams had records of 3-0. Numerous tie-breakers determined that Weston High School would compete against Simsbury High School in the final round.
Weston argued the negative and prevailed with a final score of 3-2 based on a tally of the five judges.
Individual scores of teammates determined that Carolyn ranked second and Sean ranked fifth out of the 96 debaters.
Sean founded the Weston debate program two years ago. He and Carolyn led practices throughout the academic year with younger students.
“That’s been the highlight for me — watching the growth of our underclassmen,” said Carolyn. “It’s been surreal to watch them winning awards in the novice division at the same events where I’m competing in the varsity division.”
“Carolyn and I will be graduating in a few months, but we have great confidence in these young teammates,” added Sean. “They can build Weston into a powerhouse.”
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