The Centre Middle School Debate Team performed exceptionally well in the most recent competition of the Birmingham Area Debate League, with one competitor placing second overall and thee in the Top Ten out of a field of 106 students who competed.

Jhayda Whiteside was the CMS competitor who placed second overall.  Miss Whiteside was just one point away from a perfect score, scoring 59 out of 60 possible points.  Making Miss Whiteside’s performance even more impressive is the fact that this was the very first time she had competed, and she had never even watched a debate competition before.

CMS also placed two more competitors in the Top Ten.  Magdalen Segura and Caroline Lloyd tied for seventh place, with 57 points each.

The field in competition consisted of 16 schools, 28 squads, and as noted above, 106 competitors.  Only Homewood Middle School, with four of the Top Ten, placed more competitors in the Top Ten than did Centre.

Scott Lloyd, a member of the CMS Debate coaching staff, commented, “We are progressing nicely, considering that this is our first year of having a debate team at CMS.  Fewer than half of the schools in this competition had any students place in the Top Ten, and we had three.”