GHS’s Debate and Advocacy Club recently participated in a parliamentary debate tournament, their first event of this year. The tournament took place at Nueva School in San Mateo on January 9. 

Club president Shirley Liang (12) said that it was a “great tournament… because it was the first tournament for a lot of our new members.” Liang was there acting as a coach for participating members, guiding them through the preparation and debate process. 

One team member got 12th place in the novice division, and another GHS team got a winning record, winning three out of four debates. 

Liang first got interested in debate in middle school. She joined the high school club because “it really exercises your ability to speak, your ability to reason, and your ability to think quickly on your feet.” She explained that in the parliamentary debate format, participants are assigned a debate topic twenty minutes before the actual debate, “so you definitely have to figure stuff out on your feet.” 

Since Liang is a member of the class of 2026, she needs to pass on the presidency of the club at the end of the school year. Liang said that “there are a couple of candidates we are thinking of,” and that she is “really excited to see how this club will move forward.”