ALLENTOWN — Stone Bridge Middle School debate team students spent March 16 at Mother Teresa Regional School in Atlantic Highlands.
The pupils engaged in powerful persuasion and the art of refutation in the third Garden State Debate League tournament of the year, according to a press release.
The following topics provided discourse and lively debate dialogue:
Students should not have to pay to participate in extracurricular activities.
New Jersey drivers should be allowed to pump their own gas.
The Olympic Games cause more good than harm.
Video games cause more harm than good.
The United States should guarantee a free college education to all citizens.
According to the press release, Stone Bridge Middle School earned first place with 21 overall wins.
The team of Laur’en Cocozello, Brian Krewson and Taylor Watters placed sixth with four wins. Taro DeRogatis, Brendan Rath and Deven Kinney placed 10th with three wins.
The team of Rishi Shukla, Colin Smith and Joey Acardi, and the team of Ashna Singh, Brenna Stampe and Hunter Loock each won three of their five debates.
The following teams each won two debates: Evan Heddy, Caroline Reynolds and Jai Gill; Kemani Scott, Tyler Damasiewicz and Connor Provost; Calvin Madia, R.J. Franzen and Peter Pinto; and Georgia Borkowski and Arya Singh.
The debate team welcomed seven new students who made their debating debut. Stone Bridge is looking forward to the final event of the season on April 27 at the Bolger Middle School in Keansburg.