Mount Pleasant High School Speech and Debate competed in the Regional Congressional Debate tournament at the Region VIII Education Service Center on Thursday, November 11. Competing against other 5A schools in our region, Mount Pleasant High School had a great showing taking 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th places in the competition.

Senior Connelly Cowan was the Regional Champion with senior Taylor Hubbs placing 2nd, advancing both to the state meet in January. It will be the third state trip for Cowan and the first for Hubbs. Cowan holds a 4th place UIL state medal in Congressional Debate from 2020 and a bronze from 2021.

Junior Anthony Orellana was named the Regional Top Presiding Officer and earned a 4th place medal making him an alternate to state with junior Merlin Cardona placing 5th.

UIL Congress is an individual contest in a large group setting. It models the legislative process of democracy, specifically, the United States Congress. Within this mock legislative assembly competition, contestants draft legislation (proposed laws and position statements) submitted to the tournament, and they research the docket of bills and resolutions dealing with real-world social and political policies prior to the contest to prepare their speeches. At the tournament, students caucus in committees, deliver formal discourse on the merits and disadvantages of each piece of legislation, and vote to pass or defeat the measures they have examined. Parliamentary procedure forms structure for the discourse, and students extemporaneously respond to others’ arguments over the course of a session.

Cowan and Hubbs will compete at the UIL State Congressional Debate tournament in Austin, January 11 and 12, 2022. They are coached by Enrique Martinez.

Pictured L to R –

1st row: Taylor Hubbs, Connelly Cowan, Anthony Orellana

2nd row: Merlin Cardona, Angie Hernandez, Coach Enrique Martinez