Yale, Princeton Compete in Debate

Yale was able to recapture the debate crown from Princeton, a 2016 winner. (YWAA photos--Munguia, Mattison)

The annual Westchester Debate Competition, showcasing teams from Yale and Princeton, returned to Ardsley High School, Nov. 3. For a second straight year, area students, teachers, debate coaches, families, and alumni gathered eagerly, as teams took the stage to address political and social issues in the way of formal debate.

Yale won the college competition (the 21st annual event), seizing the collegiate crown after Princeton's win last year.  Blind Brook High School, a 2013 host for the competition, was named the winner of the high school competition, which included five other squads.

Dana Sands '83 and Bill Nightingale '53 acted as a Co-Chairs for the event and were joined by Princeton's Westchester alumni president Martin Sklar in organizing the debate program and a pre-competition dinner for competing students.

The format followed the conventional Westchester program, where Yale and Princeton debaters determined a topic before the competition began, sparred back and forth (point, counter-part, more statements and more rebuttals), and waited for judges (local officials) to announce a winner. 

High school teams, coached by the college students, followed and addressed such issues about whether the U.S. has an obligation to enforce immigration laws, whether colleges have an obligation to protect campuses from hate speech, and whether American citizens who opt not to vote should be fined.

Participating high schools included Byram Hills vs. Fox Lane, Ardsley vs. Blind Brook, and Rye Neck vs. Yonkers.  High school winners (from Blind Brook) received scholarships, funded in part from the William Nightingale '53 Debate Fund. 

Byram Hills hosted the event in 2015. Hackley School hosted in 2014.

(Participants and debate rosters will follow.)

Ardsley High School again hosted the Westchester Debate Competition, Nov. 3, 2017

Winners from Blind Brook High School joined the judges after the high school competition.  All participates gathered at the stage for a final photo. (YWAA photos--Munguia, Mattison)

Debate students from Yale, Princeton and six high schools met each other at a dinner in the Ardsley school library. (YWAA photos)

Debate Co-Chair Bill Nightingale '53 (top, R) greeted guests at Ardsley and thanked the school and other organizers. (YWAA photos)