Sixteen Red Dawn Debaters were recognized at the final debate tournament of 2023 Saturday at Palm Beach Central High School.
Placing first in Novice Congressional Debate was Elisa Syla, while Natalia Figueroa placed second. Ava Redfield finished third in her chamber, Maggie Crum fourth, Matthew Estrella fifth, and Anthony Campione sixth. Estrella, Isabella Mariani, and William Irwin each earned gavels as their chamber’s top presiding officer as well.
In Varsity Congressional Debate, Patrick McDermott finished first, Brandon Burt third, and Ava Cassel fourth.
Izzy Parissos took first place in Varsity Dramatic Performance, while the Varsity Duo Interpretation team of Diego Calderon and Michael Diaz placed fourth. In Oral Interpretation, Hannah Pahl placed sixth in the varsity category, while Mia Carreira took sixth in the novice division.
Wellington earned 14 new National Speech & Debate Association honor society degrees, including five new members: Maggie Crum, Matthew Estrella, Cristian Goncalves, Susana Perez Rodriguez, and Zoe Savage. Four students earned the Degree of Honor (75+ points), their varsity debate letter, and the right to wear honor cords at their high school graduation ceremony: Diego Calderon, Romessa Patel, Ava Redfield, and Alexander Rodriguez. And five students surpassed the 150-point Degree of Excellence plateau: Logan Joseph, Maddox Manriquez, Maria Ramirez, Juliana Schuster, and Hendrix Socha.