Written By: Zara Khemlani 

Last month, the Rye Country Day School Debate Team held their first conference with a mix of private and independent schools, and a few independent debaters. In all, there were about 250 individuals who came together to make this event possible, and 144 students who participated in the debate. Isa Pierry ‘25 and Amelie Goacher ‘25 are the captains of the Rye Country Day School Debate Team who led RCDS through the largest tournament in the New York Parliamentary Debate League so far. When asked about their favorite moments of the competition, Pierry stated, “Seeing everyone enjoying lunch together was a highlight, because it was nice to see different schools coming together through debate.” She also commented on the team’s innovation and shared, “We were able to improvise and turn hallways into rooms, and Amelie was a key player who helped us move our set up.” Her co-captain, Goacher, stated that “The individual teams did really well, setting Rye Country Day School up for success for the upcoming debate season.” The captains also shared that this experience would not have been possible without the help of Mr. Kyle, Mr. Quagliaroli, and Ms. Malloy. 

In this competition, there were six novice debaters: Kevin Neilinger ‘27, Luke Werwaiss ‘27, Kaitlyn Wong ‘27, Elias Carmel ‘28, Alaina Horowitz ‘28 and Marina Leifer ‘28. Leifer and Horowitz were a novice team who had an incredible first experience and shared that Amelie and Isa were instrumental in their success. Horowitz stated, “Without them we wouldn’t have been able to successfully do the debate procedures.” Leifer shared that, “the community was very welcoming and taught them everything they needed to know.” The duo shared that the event was a nice bonding experience where they made friends across communities and towns. They are both looking forward to the next competition. 

The Debate Team is planning to host an in-house competition starting on December 12th and ending on the 18th. The team encourages all students who are interested to reach out and start their debate journeys.