The decades-long tradition of the MacBean Bowl debate tournament lives on, virtually!
The Junto club members debated in three rounds via Zoom on Tuesday, May 26. The sides of the debate were determined in advance by coin flip, so students had to be ready to debate in favor of something that they may not necessarily believe in personally.
The teams were Lauren Bassett '20 and Molly Limaye '21; Alex Zho '21 and Michael Wennemer '21; Owen Maier '20 and Michael Zhou '21; Dhilan Lavu '21 and Peter Woodville '21; Grace Haupt '20 and Tina Ying '20; Charlie Maier '22 and Paul Buckley '22; Mary Cipperman '21 and Trisha Tsundupalli '21; and Yvvy Chen '21 and Bridget Egan '21.
As always, the topics were very timely. In the first round, these eight teams debated in four breakout rooms on whether the Federal Government should temporarily mandate the wearing of face masks in public. Three teams arguing in the affirmative (Bassett/Limaye, O. Maier/Zhou, and C. Maier/Buckley) and one team arguing in the negative (Cipperman/Trundupalli) advanced to the next round.
In the second round, the four winning teams debated in two breakout rooms on the topic of whether the United States should abolish the electoral college, a topic several of the alumni judges remember arguing in the 2017 MacBean Bowl in the year following the 2016 presidential election. Both teams arguing in the affirmative (Bassett/Limaye and C. Maier/Buckley) advanced to the next round.
Finally, the final two teams debated a social program that has gained traction in the past year, whether the United States should enact a universal basic income (UBI). Charlie and Paul argued in favor of a UBI, while Lauren and Molly argued against one. Ultimately, the judges agreed in favor of the upperclassmen, Lauren and Molly, and named them the 2020 MacBean Bowl Champions.
"Lauren reached a milestone by winning the MacBean Bowl for three straight years, this time with Molly as her partner. She is a force to be reckoned with, both as a four-year Mock Trial attorney and an active debater. Overall, we were thrilled that the oldest club at Episcopal was not only able to survive but thrive under these unique circumstances," shared Faculty Advisor Jen Maier, Hon.
Mrs. Maier was also impressed by the great alumni turnout. "There were many close debates, and the students were glad to get so much debating feedback from our experienced alums," she said. The fourteen alumni guest judges were: Jessica Bai '16, Meagan Berry '09, Jack Brinker '16, Bella Echevarria '16, Jack Freese '11, Brad Hahn '11, Kyle Henson '11, Schuyler Kresge '18, Jimmy McEntee '11, Michael Quinlan '14, Emma Sargent '18, Wilson Smerconish '16, Grace Smith '19, and Chris Stein '16.
You can learn more about Junto by listening to this EA Unlocked podcast episode.