Schaumburg High School’s debate team delivered an outstanding performance at the recent league tournament at Dundee Crown High School, capturing the team sweepstakes title and showcasing months of hard work, preparation, and collaboration.
Competing against 26 schools, the team earned points through consistent success in multiple events and rounds. The sweepstakes title reflects not just individual talent, but the collective effort of the entire team, who worked together to achieve excellence.
Several debaters received individual recognition for their impressive performances. Award winners included Ved Ghelani, Arjan Juneja, Nihal Sameer, Rima Venkat, Jay Yara, Alice Yakubova, and Nicole Shea, each of whom demonstrated strong argumentation skills, clear communication, and strategic thinking throughout the tournament.
Team members credited their success to rigorous practice sessions, constructive feedback, and strong support from teammates. Tournaments take place on Saturdays, once per month, from 8 a.m. through 4 p.m.
In Congressional Debate, students roleplay as members of the House of Representatives, proposing and debating bills and resolutions. At the December tournament, topics included whether the United States should implement a wealth tax, make community college free through subsidies, and place economic pressure on India to stop purchasing Russian oil.
“I compete in Congress, and I think our team’s collaboration throughout the entire preparation process helped me succeed both individually and as part of the team. Everyone contributed during research and came prepared for practice, and it was amazing to see that work translate into awards. It was especially meaningful to see that camaraderie extend to the competition, particularly with our freshmen,” said Alice Yakubova, the research officer and social media head for the debate team.
The team learned valuable lessons from the tournament that will help them in future competitions. To continue winning, debaters need to focus on preparation and execution. Preparation involves developing a sophisticated understanding of the topics and gathering quality evidence from expert sources. Execution requires delivering as many persuasive speeches as possible.
“I think the debate community you meet at tournaments is very special. Everyone is there to hold intellectual conversations about modern day issues and are willing to help newer debaters learn. Thanks to the debate team, I got to befriend people I probably never would have had the chance to meet,” said Amelia Kania, another research officer for the debate team.
Winners are determined by a combination of speech scores and judge rankings. A perfect speech earns a score of 6, while a below-average speech earns a 3. Both quantity and quality of speeches contribute to the overall results. Debaters can also earn individual awards, with top-ranked speakers in groups of 18 earning medals.
“I’m really excited to finish this year off with these debaters. I know we have a serious shot at winning more team awards and I think the future of our team looks really promising,” remarked Nicole Shea, the team captain of the debate team.