Tip of Texas Team Wins 2016 Texas Great Debate

The Tip of Texas team won its fifth-ever Texas Great Debate on Saturday night, triumphing in the largest-ever Great Debate in NHI history. Four of the fourteen top awards in the four main categories went to Tip of Texas students to help the Tip of Texas students lift the silver cup. The Rio Grande Valley Team, which dominated the Cross-X category, was the first runner up team, and Houston won 2nd runner up honors.

Austin triumphed in the Athenaeum rankings, while Tip of Texas was 2nd and Dallas was 3rd.

The individual category winners were: 

ORATORY

1ST PLACE: Alejandro Cuadra (Tip of Texas)

2ND PLACE: Ariadne Garcia (El Paso)

ALL-STATE: Hannah Bomberg (San Antonio)

EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING

1ST PLACE: Johny Henry Stevens (Corpus Christi)

2ND PLACE: Jailene Rodriguez (Houston)

ALL-STATE: Juan Guardia (Rio Grande Valley)

CROSS-EXAMINATION

1ST PLACE: Diego Perez/Alejandra Fernandez (Rio Grande Valley)

2ND PLACE: Cecilia Vail/Andrea Ramirez (Rio Grande Valley)

ALL-STATE LEADER: David Rodriguez (Tip of Texas)

ALL-STATE MEMBER: Alondra Salinas (Rio Grande Valley)

MOCK TRIAL

1ST PLACE: Roman Neaves/Nicolas Garza (San Antonio)

2ND PLACE: Julia Manso/Mia Saucedo (San Antonio)

ALL-STATE ATTORNEY: Tesa Muzquiz (Tip of Texas)

ALL-STATE MEMBER: Gisela Elizondo (Tip of Texas)

NHI also bestowed Most Improved honors on a member of each team, including Edwin Palacios (Austin), Brianna Guevarra (Corpus Christi), Emily Land (Dallas), Edward Porras (El Paso), Jocelyn Aviles (Houston), Edessa Reyes (Rio Grande Valley), Aidan Bujanda Moore (San Antonio), and Lorena Ramirez (Tip of Texas).

Project administrators were optimistic about what they were seeing throughout the tournament. ““The kids are coming back from the rounds excited,” said Houston PA Sonia Lopez on the program’s second day, “They were nervous this morning, but are getting in the rhythm of things, and that’s really all we could ask for. A fundamental quality of being a leader is being able to communicate, and the Great Debate teaches the students how to articulate.”

“It’s amazing that after 16 years, I still get goosebumps when I walk into the opening ceremonies,” said Corpus Christi PA Efrain Frank Arriaga, Jr. “The excitement on the kids’ faces and the energy of the room reminds me of the time I sat in those chairs both nervously and confidently.”