Timber Creek High School students on the Speech and Debate Team traveled to Princeton University Nov. 29 to participate in the Princeton Classic tournament.
Eight students placed: juniors Michael McAllister and Matt Laird placed 5th in the Public Forum Debate while seniors Jacob Alexander and Nicole Hewitt placed 17th, and juniors Xavier Ortega and Savannah Kirwan placed 25th. Senior Aaron Ramcharan placed 5th and sophomore Brandon Manbahal placed 9th in the Lincoln Douglas Debate.
“There were 186 other teams, including some from our own school,” said Laird. Junior Tyler Richards mentioned there were primarily private schools. TCHS was one of the only public high schools who took part in the tournament. Christopher Columbus Prep, Harrison Prep, Stoneman Douglas Prep, and Bronx Science Prep were competing.
Laird said he has done well in previous tournaments. “Freshman year I placed. I was like 11th or 12th at the University of Pennsylvania Debate.” Although he placed very high out of 186 entries, he still believes there is always room for improvement.
Richards debated about how the U.S. ought to guarantee universal healthcare for its citizens. Although he did not place, he was confident in the results. “I did well by leading my novices to success.” He led Ramcharan, Manbahal and senior Kelsie Ehalt.