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Panther debaters bring home hardware from Clay Center
GBHS Debaters - Group
Members of the Great Bend High School debate team are pictured. Back row, from left: Thomas Henrickson, Dathan Proffitt, Isaiah Smith, Malachi Wasson, Xanna Smith. Front Row: Raven Parcum-Marcum.

Last weekend, the Great Bend High School debaters competed with 23 other schools from across the state in the Clay Center online debate invitational, facing competition from teams from Olathe to Dodge City.   

The junior debate team of Isaiah Smith and Malachi Wasson took sixth place in the varsity division. They finished the tournament with three wins and one loss. Isaiah and Malachi will represent GBHS on the negative side at regionals.

In the Junior Varsity division, the sophomore team of Xanna Smith and Dathan Proffitt won three and lost one, and were awarded third place.  Xanna was one point off of a perfect speaker point record for the day, debate coach Kim Heath noted.

“I was so excited to see Xanna’s persistent effort be reflected on the ballot,” Heath said. “She is becoming a strong young leader.”  

Raven Pafford-Marcum and Thomas Henrickson also competed in Junior Varsity Debate, winning two and losing two.

The sophomore novice team of Drexler Gardner and Deiago Rodriguez were the first Panthers to attempt to debate remotely from home. Debate is uniquely positioned to allow for students to be fully competitive online, yet the idea of being away from teammates and coach presented challenges. They finished with one win and enough points to earn their membership in the National Speech and Debate Association honor society.

“We all learned a lot from their experience,” Heath said.

Heath also noted the growth this fall of sophomore team, Adeline Dougherty and Katria Kindscher, who placed 5th in Great Bend’s tournament in October and have consistently finished with winning records. “They have grown and expanded their analysis, speaking and research skills throughout the fall,” she said.

Their efforts have earned them a spot on the varsity regional team on the affirmative side.    

The regular season is now coming to an end and the team is focusing on preparing for the regional tournament. 

Next weekend, the varsity team will compete at a regional warm-up hosted by Moundridge High School. The junior varsity and novice debaters will compete at the Nutcracker Invitational hosted by Tonganoxie High School.