Two Addison Trail seniors compete in IHSA Debate Virtual State Finals

On March 12 and 13, Addison Trail seniors Fawzan Ali (pictured at left) and Israar Ahmed (pictured at right) competed in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Debate State Finals. The event was hosted virtually because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Ahmed and Ali participated in the Congressional Debate category, and Ahmed became the second debater in Addison Trail history to qualify for the semifinals.

According to http://icdadebate.org, “Students involved in Congressional Debate follow the same procedures as senators and representatives in Washington and Springfield. They write legislation, work in committees and debate their own bills and resolutions. Trained judges and student votes are tabulated to award individual and team trophies for the top speakers. Legislation is classified in three areas: Foreign Affairs, Economics and Public Welfare. Each school submits legislation in an assigned area, and schools vote to choose the legislation to be debated for the next tournament. Students have about one month to prepare research; a total of nine bills are debated at each tournament.”