On Saturday, February 3, Ayala’s Speech and Debate club attended their 2nd Citrus Belt Speech Region (CBSR) Congress Championship of the year. Among the schools in attendance, Ayala High School, Claremont High School, JW North High School, Pomona Catholic High School, Santiago High School, Yucaipa High School, Cajon High School, Eisenhower High School, Los Osos High School, Redlands High School, and Village Academy High School attended.
While our debate team didn’t secure any wins this time around, their journey through the competition was able to throw some valuable lessons their way.
“Since this is only our second competition in-person, it was interesting trying to navigate the change from online to in-person,” said debate advisor Mr. Michael Daughtery-Saunders. “We’ve actually had a lot more students interested this year, so getting new students acclimated was a challenge we faced, but I feel like we’ve worked through that really well.”
During the debates, students discussed a wide range of some thought-provoking topics, including the debate over a presidential age limit and a proposed ban on energy drinks. These discussions delved into pertinent societal issues, challenging participants to articulate and defend their perspectives with clarity and conviction.
When reflecting on her goals for upcoming debates competitions, debate club Director of Communications Anaya Widjaja (11) said, “My goals specifically are to be less dependent on what I wrote and instead better understand the bills/topics we were given which would really help me perform better. I plan to take my time with the content and specifics of the bill which will allow me to go more in-depth with what I’m trying to say in further competitions.”
Other club members expressed the same sentiment, as they saw areas where they could improve for the next debate tournament.
For Don Kumar (9), he said, “I feel like my goals for improvement are to be more confident during cross examination and to be more prepared for when I’m getting asked questions, as well as asking questions myself.”
As the Ayala Speech and Debate looks ahead, the lessons learned from their participation in the CBSR Congress Championship serve as a guiding force for future endeavors. While victory may not have been achieved on this occasion, the journey of growth and learning has rendered them prepared to conquer new challenges and strive for success in the debates to come. Good luck to Ayala Speech and Debate in their future endeavors!
