Lenawee County, MI – Five local school districts competed in the LISD County Debate Tournament on December 9th and 10th. High school students from Adrian, Blissfield, Hudson, Lenawee Christian, and Madison participated in novice and varsity divisions. Students were grateful to compete in-person after debating virtually last school year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
This year featured very competitive teams from all districts. Faith Gallanis and Annabelle Smith, representing Blissfield’s team, won top honors in the varsity final round to defeat Grant Long and Nick Stuart, representing the Lenawee Christian team. In the novice division, Blissfield once again rose to the top featuring Addison Martinez and Jonah Hiatt against Hudson’s Austin Marry and Nick Copin.
Also honored at the tournament were the five top speakers in each division across the season. For the varsity division, Mattson Garza (Madison), Gillian Gray (Blissfield), Grant Long (Lenawee Christian), Annabelle Smith (Blissfield), and Faith Gallanis (Blissfield) earned Top Speaker awards. For the novice division, Hallie Medley, June Miller, Payten Dew, and Jonah Hiatt, all from Blissfield, received Top Speaker awards.
Each year, the LISD sponsors a debate league during the fall semester. This year, the scrimmages and tournament were held at the Adrian First Church of the Nazarene. Each year, the teams debate a policy proposal voted on by schools across the country. This year’s resolution advocated for increasing the federal government’s protection of water resources in the United States.
The LISD thanks the coaches for their dedication. These coaches help students develop strong speaking skills and the ability to think logically, reasonably, and critically when presenting an argument. Carla Barricklow (Adrian), Justin Pooley (Blissfield), Cathy Schoonover (Hudson), Colleen Averill (Lenawee Christian), and Dr. Kelly Cichy (Madison) coached this year’s Lenawee County debate students.
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*Media courtesy of the Lenawee Intermediate School District*