Hackley’s Upper School Debate Team Kicks Off Season With Strong Performances

On Sept. 21, eight Upper School debaters competed in the Yale Parliamentary Debate tournament, opening the season with four rounds on such topics as elections, AI and economics. The team included senior co-captains Vivek Malik and Nina Zeltser, along with senior Angela Croce; junior Ben Iaderosa; and sophomores Shreyas Kuniyil, Theo Anderson, Gabriel Fossner and Nico Kim. Although results were mixed, the team’s energy was high. Their overnight stay in New Haven, Connecticut also allowed for a reunion with former captain and current Yale University student Sam Sanders ’24.

On Sept. 28, three Hackley teams participated in the New York Parliamentary Debate League’s opening in-person event at Friends Seminary in Manhattan: Lilly Rosenthal ’27 and Zach Weinreich ’27, Peter Park ’27 and Max Michael ’27, and Nico Kim ’27 (competing solo as a "maverick"). Hackley students achieved an overall winning record, with special recognition to Zach for earning a top 10 speaker award.

With 12 competitors taking part in back-to-back events, the team is off to an exciting start!