On Sept. 16 through 21, Greenhill hosted the annual Fall Classic Debate Tournament, one of the biggest upper school debate tournaments in the country. Invites for the tournament were sent out four months in advance to allow time for intense preparation.   

“Back in May is when we start some of the planning… we start booking the spaces so that we have all the dates,” Middle and Upper School Assistant Debate Teacher and Coach Rodrigo Paramo said. “Every year I do a walk of the various buildings…. We basically investigate and see what rooms change, what can we use and what can we not.”   

Paramo noted that assistance from parent volunteers was key in administrating the tournament.  

“All of the hospitality and food during the tournament is run by parents,” Paramo said.  

Paramo expressed deep gratitude for the parent volunteers constantly providing staff and students.   

“That’s something we’re always really grateful for because we get to stress about the debate stuff and then the parents focus on is everyone fed, is everyone taken care of and kind of showing off just like the spirit of hospitality,” said Paramo.  

Student debaters were also appreciative of the help from faculty and staff in helping run and administer the tournament. 

“So many faculty members just drop everything for a weekend to come help the debate team succeed,” junior Arhaan Iyer said. “So, I think it’s a really special community moment for Greenhill to show who we are as a school.” 

The air conditioning in the Rosa O. Valdes STEM + Innovation Center, where debates were being held on campus, went out on the second day of the tournament, calling for a sudden evacuation and relocation to the Upper School North and South midday.   

“It was a big shift,” Paramo said. “We had ups and downs…at the hotel we had minor problems, the Wi-Fi didn’t work yesterday, the water didn’t work on Friday, which was bad, but altogether it went really well.”  

Greenhill debaters had an outstanding finish, with junior Eric Xing qualifying for the Tournament of Champions, seniors Mahedhar Sunkara and Akash Bose placing in the top 16 in the policy section of debate and sophomores Isabel Evans, Margaret Starrs, Safa Ashraf and freshman Sara Mishra winning the Green Division of World Schools.   

Senior Vivek Thankavell is the winner of Roundrobin, the invite-only section of the tournament where participants were chosen from a national selection of applications. Thankavell competed against 16 of the best Lincoln-Douglass debaters in the country, becoming the first Greenhill student to have won the Roundrobin since 2017.  

“I have always wanted to have a student win it…It was a far-out dream, and we got there,” Paramo said.   

Five alumni returned to help coach alongside Paramo and Director of Speech and Debate Aaron Timmons. Coaches and administrators were appreciative of the support from the alumni during the large event.   

Debate students expressed their gratitude to be able to compete in such a diverse tournament, with teams spanning from Team USA to a team from Taiwan. 

“I think especially for those who attend the tournament, it’s such a privilege to be able to experience a national tournament so early on in the season in which you get to compete with a very diverse pool of competitors,” said junior Cindy Chou, who competed in the World Schools debate portion. 

Intense preparation for the tournament brought debaters together and created a stronger mindset going into the tournament.  

“It was three days of very intense preparation in which we would stay up until midnight, really breaking down the cases, turning them down so that they can grow stronger,” Chou said. “So, I think on the basis of mentality, each and every one of us were very strong in the way in which we came together and helped each other.” 

Iyer, who captained Team Texas, reflected on his goals as a leader and how he hopes his team dynamics flourish and foster a good team bonding experience. 

“I try to make people feel like they’re supported and heard and they’re really valued,” Iyer said. “Everyone on the team is equally talented and equally contributing and that was super important for me to be known.” 

Greenhill hopes to continue the annual Fall Classic Debate Tournament for the eminent future, as they give back to their community and represent Greenhill’s passion and legacy for debate.