Teachers defeated students in a debate about passing a bill that would have the United States send aid to Sudan, which is in the middle of a civil war.
Ms. Piatkowski, Ms. Banks, Ms. Mornhinweg, Mr. Driver and Mr. Eviner convinced the judges that passing the bill was the right choice.
Omar Saquisili, Kailee Powell, David Fasasi, Rachel Martinez and Niya Rogers were the students who fought against the bill, attempting to argue that the bill is a waste of time and resources.
Mr. Eviner gave the teachers a strong start by talking about similar bills passed in 2002, 2003 and 2008 when 300,000 people were killed and 2 million were displaced.
This new bill would send humanitarian aid, which includes sending 10,000 troops to protect and maintain the peace. This would stop problems like the tragedy in April, when an entire medical team was killed by rebels in Al Fashir.
Niya Rogers battered Mr. Eviner with questions revolving around what aid was provided, noting that America is currently the country with the highest death rate. Negation speaker Rachel Martinez supported Niya by saying that the bill is rushed and expensive, noting that America is in the middle of its own crisis.
Mr. Driver added that the U.S. has aided other countries in the past and that we obviously have the money.
Ms. Banks argued that women and children were being targeted while other countries such as the United Kingdom and Norway are already chipping in to help refugees.
David Fasasi countered with statements acknowledging that we’re wasting resources as we send supplies to refugees. Since we’ve started sending aid, groups in Sudan have misplaced 17 tons of food.
After the student-teacher debate over Sudan, the next topic was debated between Omar Saquisili and Ms. Mornhinweg. They discussed whether Pope Leo XIV’s influence would strengthen or weaken the influence of the Catholic Church.
Omar Saquisili spoke about the Pope warning us about AI. Pope Leo is known for connecting to younger generations, other religious leaders, and people from Peru. Omar concluded by saying this natural leader is the only one addressing inequality and will strengthen the influence of the Catholic church.
Ms. Mornhinweg spoke about the late Pope Francis, who warned about rich men taking over. She also said that Pope Leo would fight for climate change and labor rights. As a Pope of the people, he listens to the 60% of Catholics who agree that the church should focus on that instead of focusing on abortion.
Both said they hope the new Pope will clean up the Church for it to thrive, agreeing he will strengthen the influence.
Debate Coach Joey D. Colandrea said that as one of the few teams in the Manhattan League, Pace is very exciting. He hopes to recruit 11th graders and history superstars next year.
