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Spring is in the air, which generally leads high school students to contemplate topics like: What to wear to prom? Where to go for summer vacation? Are NATO military operations in Afghanistan justified?
OK, maybe analyzing geopolitical interaction might not make for exciting high school cafeteria gossip. Still, the question led the Plano Senior High School speech and debate team to a $10,000 award and national recognition in New York after the team won the 2010-2011 Bickel & Brewer/NYU International Public Policy Forum on Saturday.
The team, which consists of Shikha Garg, Akshay Narayanan, Lewis Warne, Rachel Hyde and Julian Michael, battled through more than 340 high schools from around the world through three rounds of elimination to reach the "Elite 8." All eight teams, including a South Korean prep school, then traveled to New York this weekend to put their debate skills to the test.
"I remember most of us were in the debate room waiting for the announcement on who made it to the last round," Narayanan said. "Once it came out we had won, we all were really happy; some might have even thrown some fist pumps. We were really excited to go to New York, but it also meant there was a lot more work to be done and so much more we could achieve."
The elimination rounds the team would face in New York would differ in that now oral arguments had to be prepared as a panel of judges -- which contained college professors, international political experts and politicians -- peppered them with questions that would probe every facet of the team's position.
It would be a test that the Plano team of seniors would face with the confidence needed of a champion. Round after round, they defeated their opposition until they soon found themselves in the familiar territory of the finals.
The finals brought equal excitement and dread to the team. Plano teams have made the final round twice before during the 10 years of the competition. Each time, it had placed second. Garg said the team knew they had something to prove.
"The trip probably validates the hard work," Garg said. "But when we finally won, it meant so much more. It was really exceptional to see all of our hard work pay off and see the third time was a charm for Plano."
Cheryl Potts, the coach for the Plano Senior speech and debate team, said there was a mixture of "euphoria, relief, excitement" when they were announced as champions.
"When you have worked that hard and you feel like you did well, it is a little disappointing to come in second," she said. "The team was just amazing this year. As a whole, this team was just a bit better. They are all great speakers and think well on their feet."
The $10,000 prize will be split among the team; $5,000 will go to the debate program and the other $5,000 will be split evenly among the team members as scholarships.
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