Pace’s debate team had a number of exceptional debates so far, where Omar Saquisili placed first, Kata Borg in second, and David Fasasi in third. All members have qualified for the state debate competition on April 5th and 6th.
Saquisili, a senior member of the team, advanced to final rounds at St. Joseph’s University in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania after numerous rounds against contestants from other schools.
Saquisilli and his team faced students from top private and public high schools in the tri-state area. On Saturday November 16th, there were preliminary rounds where Saquisilli debated for six hours. He said it was “tougher but I was still confident in my ability to do better.”
Saquisili was able to persevere in a different environment against others, to relax Saquisili took time after revising his bill to relax and spend time in his hotel room.
After preliminary rounds, Saquisili advanced to final rounds which were held the next day. Omar placed 18 out of 78 debaters in the Northeastern region.
Pace improved as a team during the past two years, having spent numerous hours strengthening their debate skills and their bond with one another throughout the season.
Saquisilli’s success showed the team’s hard work and dedication to being unified as a team and supportive of one another. As Saquisilli looked back at how the team prepared, he said “We prep documents between the team and share resources. From there, we pull out our own arguments instead of everyone preparing for themselves.”
Mr. Doliber, the club’s advisor and U.S history teacher , emphasized how much time the team spent in preparation. The debate club is doing well this year, with numerous awards and a new team. Despite the challenges of building a culture and becoming the best debate coach, the team has excellent students, strong senior leadership, and strong younger candidates. He claims that “backing up your claims and views with facts and evidence and find
Advisor, Mr. Doliber taking a group photo with the debate team.
ing really good facts and evidence” is the most important part in debate.
Mr. Doliber praised the team for their ability to work together. The team meets twice a week, and sometimes it’s anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours after school. They would have large all day tournaments over the weekends.In 2023, the Pace debate team started evolving, making it open to all grades. The club was brought back by Mr. Doliber. Up until now the Pace debate team has received lots of support while debating state wide, continuing to strive for championships.
Rachel Martinez, a freshman on the team, expressed that she was nervous prior to competing as it was her first time ever being on a debate team. Her previous school didn’t have a team. As the competition days approached, she emphasized that the way the environment is structured helps the team with their work ethic. Martinez said, “We work together really well since we’re all kind of friends and around the same grade.”
The journey of the Pace debate team is an example of cooperation, careful planning, and teamwork. The team has shown that commitment and teamwork is needed to succeed. From group accomplishments like the St. Joseph’s University tournament to the progress that was encouraged by Mr. Doliber’s leadership.
