Mount Pleasant High School Speech and Debate competed in the Regional Congressional Debate tournament at the Region VIII Education Service Center on Thursday, November 10. This year, Mount Pleasant was the only 5A school competing. So the competition became an intrasquad battle for who would earn the top three places and advance to state. MPHS has had a state competitor every year since 2017 and team members have earned UIL state bronze and state 4th place medals and have had the UIL State Top Presiding Officer in recent years.

Senior Anthony Orellana was the Regional Champion with junior Angelina Hernandez placing 2nd and senior Merlin Cardona placing 3rd. Orellana was also named the Top Presiding Officer. Alternates to state include sophomore Gopi Amin who placed 4th and senior Eli Rider who placed 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.

Orellana, Hernandez, and Cardona will compete at the UIL State Congressional Debate tournament in Austin on January 4 and 5, 2023.

Pictured –

Front row (L to R): Angelina Hernandez, Anthony Orellana, Merlin Cardona

Back row (L to R): Eli Rider, Gopi Amin