Jan. 18-20 @ National Civics & Debate Championship, Orlando

Published by Paul Gaba
March 5, 2025

Three members of the Wellington Speech & Debate Team placed in the Top 100 overall at the 2025 National Civics & Debate Championship “Great Debate” in Orlando the weekend of January 18-20. Emma Gardner took 19th overall out of nearly 300 high school debaters, Patrick McDermott 39th, and Madison Neltner 100th.

The individual sweepstakes were based on three competitive events in which 11 Wellington students competed over the weekend – Congressional Debate, Extemporaneous Debate, and Impromptu Speaking.

In Congressional Debate, McDermott placed 34th, Gardner 38th, Richard Tanton 42nd, and Neltner 87th overall. In Extemp Debate, three students – Gardner, McDermott, and Oliva Winton – each went 5-1, with Gardner placing 26th, McDermott 30th, and Winton 40th. Kai Cartwright went 4-2 and placed 92nd. And in Impromptu, Gardner took 27th and Neltner 62nd.