submitted by froehlic@augsburg.edu
Minneapolis South High School’s debate partnership, Gabe Chang-Deutsch & Clara Conry, were Semifinalists in the Policy Debate section of the Tournament of Champions.
Conry & Chang-Deutsch debated students from Bellarmine Preparatory Academy in Tacoma, WA during the semifinal round of the tournament.
In response to COVID-19, the tournament was held entirely virtually.
The Tournament of Champions is hosted by the University of Kentucky. To qualify for the TOC, students must earn bids through strong performances at highly competitive tournaments during the season. Conry & Chang-Deutsch competed against many of the most competitive policy teams in the US, through octafinals, quarterfinals, and semifinals.
In policy debate, students across the nation research and prepare cases for the affirmative (pro) and negative (con) side of the same topic. The policy debate resolution debated at this year’s tournament was: Resolved: The United States federal government should enact substantial criminal justice reform in the United States in one or more of the following: forensic science, policing, sentencing.
South High School is a member of the Minnesota Urban Debate League, a program of Augsburg University which provides academic competitive debate programming to Twin Cities middle and high school students. The mission of MNUDL is to empower students through competitive academic debate to become engaged learners, critical thinkers, and active global citizens who are effective advocates for themselves and their communities.
The following teams from the state of Minnesota also competed in Policy Debate at the Tournament of Champions:
Eagan HS – Li & Sen
Edina HS – Anderson McElligott & Atri