Students From Newberry, Alachua, Gainesville, Earn Top Awards at Florida’s Great Debate

ORLANDO – Students from Oak View Middle School in Newberry, Newberry High School, Gainesville High School and Alachua’s Santa Fe High School were among the Alachua County competitors earning top honors at the fifth annual Great Debate: Florida’s National Civics and Debate Championship, which drew more than 600 middle and high school students from Florida and 14 other states to Orlando this past weekend.

Participation in the championship has nearly quadrupled since the inaugural event five years ago, reflecting growing interest in civics education and competitive debate. Students competed in impromptu speaking, extemporaneous debate and legislative debate, with champions named in both middle school and high school divisions.

“Florida continues to lead the nation in civics education, and the growth of The Great Debate proves that Florida’s approach to civics and debate is a model for other states to follow,” said Florida Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas. “We are proud to host a national event that brings students together for a weekend of rigorous competition and thoughtful discourse.”

Middle School Results

Alachua County Public Schools eighth-grader Avinoor Jutla of Lincoln Middle School was named Overall Middle School Tournament Champion, earning the top honor among middle school competitors nationwide.

Jutla also earned multiple individual awards, placing sixth in extemporaneous debate, second in impromptu speaking, and finishing as a finalist in legislative debate.

Six Alachua County Public School middle school students from Lincoln, Oak View Middle School and Kanapaha Middle School earned a combined nine awards across the three debate categories.

Additional middle school honors included:

• Extemporaneous Debate: Maria Eder, Oak View Middle School, finalist
• Impromptu Speaking: Ellington Smith, Oak View Middle School, third place; Sarah Khial, Kanapaha Middle School, finalist
• Legislative Debate: Maggie Castle, Oak View Middle School, fifth place; Quinn Baker, Oak View Middle School, finalist; Avinoor Jutla, Lincoln Middle School, finalist; Sarah Khial, Kanapaha Middle School, finalist

High School Results

At the high school level, five Alachua County Public Schools students from Newberry High School, Eastside High School, Gainesville High School and Santa Fe High School earned six awards in varsity impromptu speaking and varsity legislative debate.

High school ACPS results included:

• Varsity Impromptu Speaking: Audrey Ellenburg, Newberry High School, fifth place; Tanvi Gawande, Eastside High School, finalist; Gillian Collins and Arlo Sawicki, Gainesville High School, finalists
• Varsity Legislative Debate: Gillian Collins, Gainesville High School, fifth place; Steph Slavei, Santa Fe High School, finalist

Overall high school championship honors went to Daniel Llobet of the School for Advanced Studies Wolfson, who also captured first place in high school legislative debate. Joseph Wise of Wildwood High School won high school impromptu speaking, while Hailey Graepel of Pasco High School claimed the extemporaneous debate title.

A full list of winners is available at www.TheGreatDebateFL.com.

#     #     #

email editor@

alachuatoday.com