The Great Debaters: UDHS Debate Team Makes Case for Regional Rep

There’s no arguing that the Upper Dublin High School Debate Team is having a successful year. Anyone who would try to say otherwise would have to compete against some of the region’s sharpest minds, and a growing list of evidence of recent accolades that would support the contrary.

Kaitlyn Brady, team co-president, won the Pennsylvania High School Speech League (PHSL) District 11 Championship in Extemporaneous Speaking this past weekend at a competition held at Saint Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia. Debaters Seth Harrison and Ross Fine won the district title in Cross X debate, while co-president Hannah Rifkin came in second in Poetry Oratorical Interpretation. All four students will now advance to the PHSSL state finals, held March 23-24 at Susquehanna University.

“What I like best about the team is what it can teach you about the world, and about yourself,” says Brady, a senior. “Not only do you get the chance to grow as a speaker and as a logical thinker, but you get to meet so many people and learn from them as well.”

Brady says that she joined the debate team because the idea of competitive academics appealed to her. She recommends the experience to everyone, particularly people who love to hear themselves talk, she jokes.

“It’s good for anyone, from those who think they’re always right, to those who want to get over a fear of public speaking,” Brady says. “Speech and debate will teach you how to work under pressure, think critically, research and communicate.”

Jules Mermelstein, advisor for the club and social studies teacher at the high school, says the team has come a long way in only three years of existence.

“The team has done very well this year, as they have the previous two,” Mermelstein says. “The most startling accomplishment is that Kaitlyn [Brady] has done so well against national competition that she earned an invitation to the Tournament of Champions, which is the highest honor a speaker or debater can earn.”

Unfortunately, Brady will be unable to attend the May competition at Northwestern University because it falls in the middle of AP exams, Mermelstein said. The added that the team competes year round in a number of leagues, and had success in the Southeastern PA Debate League (SPDL), which recently concluded.

Debaters Kevin Li and Iris Chan came in first for team policy debate at the league’s championships, while Seth Harrison and Ross Fine came in seventh. A public forum debate team of Jon Gewirtzman and Carter Merenstein came in second, while Hannah Ehlers also finished second and Alexa Kelly fourth in Oral Interpretation of Literature.

Now, the team is competing in another local league, the Philadelphia Catholic Forensic League.

“If our members do well enough there, they move on to the championship competition of the National Catholic Forensic League, held in Baltimore,” Mermelstein says.

The club faces time and financial challenges, but Mermelstein says that they almost always come up with the funds from somewhere.

“We get great support from the school district and , and the competitors pay half the costs of each competition,” Mermelstein says. “I love the energy and playfulness of teens preparing to compete in a forensic event. I love seeing teens learn to tailor their messages to the audience they will be facing—these are life skills which will stand them in stead, not only in college but also later in life.”