Celebrating Community & Achievement at the 2024 MSHSL Citywide Championship
Credit for all photos: Marina Que Photography
Thank you for joining us at our 2024 Citywide Championship! This annual event is the opportunity to celebrate our MSHSL students’ achievements over a semester of debate. Check out photos from the event and results below!
You’re Headed to Nationals: Congratulations!
Your Urban Debate National Championship attendees
Congrats to Inah James & Lillie Perez (Tartan HS)
Every year, the community votes on which partnership should get to attend the Urban Debate National Championship based on their character and contributions to the community. Congrats to Lillie and Inah for being selected!
Congrats to Kiernan Baxter-Kauf & Max Ulven (Central HS)
Two teams can earn their way to UDNC based either on the community award, or by total points earned for participating and judging over the past season. Congrats to Kiernan & Max for winning their spot via points! Best of luck in Atlanta!
NSDA Districts Results
This tournament also served as the District Qualifier for the NSDA Tournament, which is the largest national high school speech and debate national tournament. Congratulations to the partnerships of Baxter Kauf & Ulven, Clark & Miller, and Berger & Mulrooney, from Central High School, who all qualified to attend this tournament! The 1st alternate team is Cogshall & Washington. Congrats & best of luck!
Tartan High School’s team earned both our Teacher & Community Coach of the Year awards!
Teacher Coach of the Year: Dylan Ek (Tartan HS)
Both the coach awards are chosen by community vote. Novice debaters announced his award, describing Dylan Ek’s outstanding caring and support: “If there’s a multiverse, we hope that Mr. Ek could be our debate coach in every universe.”
Community Coach of the Year: Teddy Munson (Tartan HS)
Teddy Munson has helped make the Tartan team successful by providing support and debate expertise to help Mr. Ek and the many Tartan debaters. Congratulations and thanks for all your hard work!
Congratulations to the City Champions!
Novice A:
- Champions: Ganser & Cunningham (Washburn HS)
- Finalists: Carew & Lawal & Vu (Tartan HS)
- Semifinalists: Springer & Myles (Central HS)
- Semifinalists: Moo & Sparkman (Tartan HS)
Novice B: Congratulations to Central High School!
- Carlson & Brink, Tomlinson & Kennedy-Schuck, Frey & Frey, and Nelson & Kim (Central High School teammates) all advanced to the Semifinals of the Novice B round!
- Tomlinson & Kennedy-Schuck and Carlson & Brink were advanced as co-champions.
Junior Varsity:
- Co-Champions: Nagel & Carter & Eichenberger & Batalden (Central High School)
- Semifinalist: Martinez Aguilar & Moore (Highland Park Senior HS)
- Semifinalist: Burton (Edison HS)
We also want to thank two special community members for joining us and speaking at the event:
Judge Dean Eyler
Former MNUDL Board Chair Judge Dean Eyler joined us to kick off the event, sharing about his perspective on the value of debate and the Intellectual Property Rights/AI topic.
“Debate has been the most valuable thing for me. It helped me build community and make friendships, develop myself personally, and it’s always been helpful for me as a lawyer and now as a judge.”
Stacy Severson, Director of Admissions at Augsburg University
Thank you to Stacy Severson from Augsburg University, for joining us to chat with students about Augsburg’s scholarships and PSEO opportunities. Stacy spoke to the power of the activity:
“I was a debate kid. Those skills that you’re learning, though this experience, carry with you in lots of ways in your life. Being able to share your ideas in a meaningful way will help your college experience, professional experience, and even your relationships.”
Team Reflections
Each year, our coaches and students reflect on their season, celebrating team achievements and memories that stood out.
CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
“I’ve seen all these kids grow so much and throw themselves into the activity. Nearly everyone who’s showed up at a practice has gone to a tournament and had a great time. Shout out to our captains and varsity team. We can’t do this without student involvement.”
HUMBOLDT HIGH SCHOOL
“We learned some great techniques. Our favorite tournament was the Rosebowl because of all the fun costumes. We really enjoy debate games and goofing off at practices. The best part was making new friends. Debate has really opened my eyes to the world and made me feel more motivated and comfortable with public speaking.”
JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL
“Going from being a sophomore to a senior, it’s been so memorable to see all the new members join. I had a strong passion for debate, so now, after seeing so many new members who make time for debate, I love it even more.”
NORTH ST PAUL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
“What all our team has learned is that debate is a sport of intellect about understanding where your opponent comes from and arguing from your position. It’s truly been one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life.”
HIGHLAND PARK SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
“It’s been amazing to watch Highland grow. We’ve doubled the size of our team. Most of them didn’t come out of middle school debate like we (the team captains) did, so I can really see every day how they’re growing and improving. They’ve created some life-long friendships, also.”
PRIOR LAKE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
“I’m proud of how far we’ve come and I’m excited to see how much further we can go if we try our best.”
ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL
“I’ve seen the students grow. This experience has really shown me why I like debate and being involved in the community. The debaters have given me a great coaching experience.”
ROSEVILLE AREA HIGH SCHOOL
“We’ve faced challenges, but we’ve mastered this complex topic and understood it. We’ve made remarkable progress over time, not just in debating skills, but in confidence, critical thinking, and the ability to think under pressure and deal with obstacles. I’m really proud of these guys. We’re looking forward to continuing to build our program.”
TARTAN HIGH SCHOOL
“We’re grateful for our school, our coaches, our district, and each other. If it wasn’t for Tartan, we wouldn’t have found each other. We laugh, help, and stress together. Every single one of us debaters are working hard to give this team a good name. We’re thankful to our coaches because they give us feedback that helps make sure we’re successful in the end. We are proud of each other because if one person on our team succeeds, we all succeed.”
THOMAS EDISON HIGH SCHOOL
“I really enjoyed my time in debate. It really brought me insight on things I never knew, which expanded my understanding of politics, which I’m forever grateful for. I’ve learned so many things from debate, and I couldn’t do it without my coaches and teammates. I give my full respect to the judges who dedicated their time to debate and help us improve. I don’t regret the opportunity that debate offered to me, and every loss was a win at getting better.”
WTMS
“Something I love is how open-minded these students are. We have so much fun thinking about the topic and relating it to us in ways that matter. That’s really important when it comes to a topic like intellectual property rights. The energy we bring is great, and I’m glad I’ve been able to work with these kids. They’re having fun while doing things that really matter.”
WASHBURN HIGH SCHOOL
“I love this tournament because it focuses on the value of community. It’s great to get to see everyone who I’ve judged and who’s come so far. Shout out to all the students on the team. They’re lovely and amazing, doing all the work they need to do. I’m thankful to them.”
