On Sunday, December 13th, nine New England Academy Debaters took part in the Orange County Debate League's Emery Tournament held in Buena Park. Nearly a dozen local schools (well over one hundred students) including Buena Park Junior High, Brentwood School (Los Angeles), Fairmont Private School and Pegasus competed in this event. The tournament topics included repealing the double jeopardy law and whether a government should prioritize the needs of refugees over national interests.
The performance at this tournament marked the best yet for the NEA students as they took the 2nd place tournament award - the highest award given to an after-school academy in the OCDL to date!
NEA Individuals and NEA teams thrived too. New England Teams APA and DCA both tied for 5th place, while New England Team ACM earned 9th place. Awards are given to only the top ten teams at the tournament. All NEA debaters, Ava A, Sujan S, Milin P, Shivana D, Samantha C, Surina A, Nadia A, Kathy C, and Marcus M were awarded team awards.
The students are looking forward to the next event at Buena Park Junior High on February 6. Great job, debaters!