Pace Debate Team Grabs Top Honors in National Tournaments

The Pace Academy debate team wrapped up a stellar season after several members of the team placed first in national competitions and reached the top eight in the country's largest debate team tournament hosted by a high school.

Pace Academy seniors Jordan Epstein and Victor Skenderi reached the finals (top two pairs of students) of the varsity division in policy debate at The Glenbrooks in suburban Chicago in mid-November.

That's not the first time the pair has reached the heights of the nation's most competitive debate tournaments. Earlier in November, Epstein and Skenderi won first place at the University of Michigan’s national Seniors Round Robin tournament in Ann Arbor after two days of competition. The two were undefeated and were also named top and second-place individual speakers.

With more 360 students from 28 states in that division, The Glenbrooks is the largest debate tournament in the country to be hosted by a high school.  

Seniors Brian Klarman and Paula Cheng reached the quarterfinals (top eight pairs) in the same division.  Epstein was named fifth best individual speaker and Skenderi was ninth.  

In the junior varsity division of The Glenbrooks, sophomores Arielle Levin and Jeri Brand reached the semifinals (top four pairs).  In a field of more than 130 students, Brand was named best individual speaker, and Levin was ninth.