The feedback we got for the first in person Elementary School Debate last year was that we didn’t host them frequently enough! 

As requested, we hosted a fall session of our growing Elementary School program, and it didn’t disappoint!  Hosted again by Stuart Hobson, the competition was larger, more robust, and more full of giggles than ever before. 

ES Debate came about a few years ago thanks to Coach Kip Plaisted (Stuart Hobson). He  wasn’t satisfied that he had one of the largest and most successful Middle School debate teams in the country. He wasn’t satisfied that they’d just won the Sweepstakes Cup for the Best Overall Team in the greater Washington Region, the first time a Middle School has ever won it. He wasn’t satisfied with a team with a strong team culture that was set up for long term success. And he wasn’t satisfied that he’d won all of the Coaching Awards we provide!

Many schools try to work with their feeder patterns, trying to get incoming students excited and ready for the next step in their academic journey. Coach Plaisted actually did so, getting his school’s elementary school students excited to join the Hobson debate team the following Fall. We’ve supported him with a great pilot program in his feeder pattern during the COVID era. 

The ES students debated about international aid, a throwback to the 2021 high school topic about water resources. Students read “A Long Walk To Water,” detailing the dual journeys of two Sudanese children in 1985 and 2008 and their struggle to access potable water in their families and villages. 

The tournament was judged by existing WUDL debaters, middle and high school students getting their first opportunity to get behind the table and judge instead of being the competitors themselves. A big shout out to Jener (Walls), Bridget and Hiba, (Banneker), Kira (Kettering), Claudia (DC International), Munachiso (College Park), Sofia (Creative Minds), Kevin (Cardozo), David, Mina, and Marshall (Stuart Hobson) for judging, mentoring, and handing out awards to the next generation.  

This year, it was Shepherd Elementary under Coach Dr. Takeisha Wilson won the competition, with Kunce / Roberts finishing 1st, Jain-Dewitt / Helgen of Mann ES in 2nd, and Foley / Messing of Shepherd in 3rd, all undefeated. Simon Elementary’s Moten / Ben-Zvi was 4th, and Neval Thomas’s Trice / Hill were 5th. 

We expect about 15 schools to join us in the Spring as the program expands. Great job to the debaters, and welcome to the WUDL family!