LAGRANGE – The Arlington High School debate team is headed to the national championship after defeating Archimedean Upper Conservatory from Miami, FL at the Northeastern Regional Divisional Finals. Before advancing to the divisional finals, the team took honors at the Westchester Regional High School Ethics Bowl held at Manhattanville College where more than 300 students from schools around the Northeast competed for a spot in the divisional round.
The debate team has four members, seniors Josie Grace-Valerius and Natalie Frankel, junior Ashley Bass, and sophomore Nathaniel Thibault. The team is coached by Arlington High School business education teacher Ron Johnson.
Frankel, who also serves as co-captain of the team and treasurer of the debate club said, “I think approaching cases with empathy as a priority helped us progress this far in the competition. I am excited and proud our team has had this opportunity. Hopefully, debate club continues to have a bright future in ethics!”
The national championship will be held at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill at the end of March. At the nationals, Arlington will take on 23 other teams from around the country in an effort to secure the top spot. This is the first time that students from Arlington will be competing at the national event.
