More words were said at West in the past three days than in the past week combined, and one West High team had the last.

Speaking at over 300 words per minute, 138 students from schools throughout Iowa and Illinois gathered at West High to participate in the Great Midwestern Novice and JV Debate Championships (GMNDC), one of the season’s last battlegrounds for debaters from all across the nation. West’s Pranav Krishnamurthy ’18 and Ethan Trepka ’18 rose to the top, taking home the first-place plaque in the JV policy division. Trepka was also the top speaker at the tournament.

“It was great to finish off such a great year with GMNDC. I can’t wait for next year and I hope to improve even more,” Krishnamurthy said.

To join the debate team next year, sign up for next year’s debate club or talk to your counselor to enroll in the yearlong debate class.