On Saturday, March 22, 2025, the Atkins Environmental Debate team traveled to Wake Forest University to compete in the Piedmont Environmental Debate Tournament, joined by students from schools across the state. This event, organized by Wake Forest Debate and aided by volunteer judges from the Piedmont Environmental Alliance and local teachers, provides a platform for students passionate about environmental issues to debate a given topic. The team has been sponsored for many years by Atkins teacher Dr. Ellen Palmer.
Throughout the day, students are assigned to argue either the pro or con side of the topic in each round, regardless of their personal views, and are judged solely on their ability to research, reason, and present their arguments effectively, rather than on the correctness of their position, or the opinion of the judge on the topic. Teams spend months preparing speeches, rebuttals, and questions in anticipation of three rounds of debate, each lasting between 30 minutes to an hour.
This year’s debate topic was “Small-scale organic farming is superior to industrial agriculture in the United States,” prompting students to consider nuanced perspectives on modern farming methods, exploring the benefits and drawbacks of small-scale, organic farming compared with traditional, industrial agriculture. While small-scale farming is often idealized for its health and environmental advantages, it struggles to meet the food demands of a large population. On the other hand, industrial farming often faces criticism for its environmental impact, treatment of workers, and the unsustainable allocation of resources and subsidies to a few major crops.
The goal of the tournament is to encourage students to explore these nuanced arguments and to move beyond divisive perspectives, recognizing the complexities of the issue at hand
The top teams from the tournament will advance to the finals at the Earth Day Fair on April 26, 2025. However, only one Atkins team can compete in the semifinals and finals. Hank Buchanan and Kritarth Mishra were the Atkins team’s semi-finalists this year. Despite their strong performance in their debate, they did not advance to finals.
Atkins students also earned recognition for their individual performances. Speakers awards were given to students who scored the most points individually during their debates. These points were distributed on a scale from 20-30 each round, thirty representing mastery. Students were scored on organization, their ability to think on the spot in rebuttals and crossfire, their use of evidence, and the effectiveness of their rhetoric. The top fifty students from the tournament were ranked by total points, the top twenty being officially recognized.
Speakers award winners from Atkins include: Kritarth Mishra, Moksha Agrawal, Tanvi Vemuri, Andrew Shih, Jia Shah, and Hank Buchanan. Due to a potential administrative mishap, student Charlotte Gibson did not receive a Speakers award; however, she is speculated to have earned one as well.
Teams that won all three of their debates were also acknowledged. Atkins had three teams among the fourteen total recognized for this achievement: Liv Elise Harrington /Jia Shah, Kritarth Mishra/Hank Buchanan, and Claire Wagaman/Moksha Agrawal.
This tournament was successful for Atkins, highlighting the hard work and dedication of the Environmental Debate team and the academic prowess Atkins students are known for.
