Penn places second in debate district competition

Posted on January 24, 2016

Penn High School student Blake Hesch qualified for the Debate nationals, and Penn’s Debate team placed second in district competition.

Hesch earned second place in Lincoln-Douglas Debate competition, and is qualified for the nationals in June in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Penn students placing in the top five in their events were:

Amelia Atkinson (third in Lincoln-Douglas)

Megha Devaraj and Colin Lucero-Dixon (fifth in Policy)

Nicholas Casseti and Renee Yaseen (fourth in Policy)

Zoe Gatzimos and William Riley (third in Policy)

Shad Jeffery and Benjamin Whittington (fourth in Public Forum)

Michael O'Rear and Faihaan Arif (placed seventh in Public Forum).

“This was the strongest showing by a Penn Debate Team at The District Tournament in the past few years,” Penn Debate coach Dave Dutton said. “Their success was the result of strong preparation and desire. I am very proud of each and every one of them.

“I am particularly pleased for Blake Hesch,” Dutton said. “Blake is a four-year veteran of the team and has been unselfish in the sharing of his time and knowledge with his team mates.”

Hesch’s topic at Districts was: "Resolved: In the United States, private ownership of handguns ought to be banned."

Penn Debate assistant coach Dawn Troyer said that Hesch excelled at the Lincoln-Douglas Debate format, which is a one-on-one debate structured on the famed Abraham Lincoln-Stephen Douglas senatorial debates.

“For the four years that Blake has been involved with Penn Debate, he has not only been a hard worker, but he has also been an integral part of the team,” Troyer said. “As a sophomore and junior, he took on the responsibility of training and mentoring the incoming Lincoln-Douglas debaters; as a result, he is respected and appreciated by the entire team. His gregarious, friendly nature, though, is what strikes me the most.  In addition, Blake is a great thinker. He is able to see both sides of a topic, and regardless of his own personal beliefs, convincingly present either side with solid proof and logic.”

Next up for Penn Debate is state competition on Jan. 29-30 in Indianapolis. 

Last Modified January 12, 2022