Collegiate High School Students dominated the competition in an incubate debate tournament hosted in Crestview over the weekend. The competition, the third of the year, saw collegiate debaters take almost half of the slots available to compete at the regional levels of debate in April in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Students debated Daylight Saving Time, the International Monetary Fund, and the historical decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan.

The competition drew attention not only for the depth of the discussions but also for the distinguished panel of evaluators. Members of the US Army and Navy, professors from Northwest Florida State College, Pensacola State College, and Gulf Coast State College, judges from Florida’s First Judicial Circuit, and elected officials from Crestview, Valparaiso, Niceville, and Mary Esther took on the responsibility of evaluating the students’ arguments.

 “Saturday’s debate was a showcase of what it means to care about a topic,” said Incubate Debate’s Madison Rabens, “I haven’t seen as much passion or heart put into a debate as I did Saturday. These students are not only incredibly intelligent but incredibly invested in this country and their community.”