IGNITE Summer 2018 | Page 13

The fine art of a winning argument Cammisa recounts how much of a deficit Saint Mary’s debate team had started with when they joined the ASAP league. “The first tournament, we had absolutely no idea what to expect, but I was impressed with the courage of these students to just get in there,” she says. But with a focus on practice and confidence, they managed to score big wins. Saint Mary’s students have earned three Top Speaker medals, and the team won 3rd place during its first round of tournaments. “Our students received top scores in clarity and articulation while demonstrating incredible confidence… despite it being the very first time any of them had participated in a debate competition,” says Cammisa. “They found their voices and were able to come out on top!” volume = liters, milliliters, quarts, ounces? volume = cubic units?