Forensics Finds Key to Success at Emory University

Br. Kevin Tidd, OSB

Posted February 4

Delbarton's 2010 Barkley Forum competitors.

The distinctive Barkley Forum award. Delbarton now has two of these beauties.

From January 29-31, 2010 the Delbarton Forensic Society’s best debaters competed at the 55th Barkley Forum for High Schools at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. 179 schools from 26 states met at the tournament, one of the oldest and most competitive high school tournaments in the nation. Delbarton brought home two of the Forum's distinctive awards. The Public Forum Debate team of Kevin Sullivan ’10 and Dhruv Sharma ’10 advanced to the octafinal round (round of 16); the team of Bud Peters ’11 and Thomas Pigott ’11 reached the quarterfinal round (round of 8) from a field of 118 teams in Public Forum. Student Congress participants James Weldon ’12 and Hunter Dougherty ’11 advanced to the semifinal round of Student Congress from a field of 40 contestants. The Peters/Pigott and Weldon/Dougherty teams each brought home a Barcley Forum award, trophies much treasured by the forensics community. Each award is a cast reproduction of a key hidden from the Union Army of General William Tecumseh Sherman as it advanced toward Atlanta in the late summer of 1864. The original key was presented to the Barkley Forum’s (Emory’s collegiate debate team) founder, Judge Thomas Glenn Pelham, who used it as a model for the Barkley Forum’s trophies. Individual event champions receive keys made of solid silver; the other awards are formed from cast bronze.

In the group photo above are Delbarton's Barkley Forum 2010 Competitors (left to right): (front row) Bud Peters ’11 and Chetan Sukh ’11 (middle row) Nicolas Luzarraga ’11, Brian Grumka ’11, Dhruv Sharma ’10, Hunter Dougherty ’11 and Tommy Pigott ’11 (back row) John Colavita ’10, James Weldon ’12, Kevin Sullivan ’10 and Gregory Ballanco ‘11.

Go Wave Forensics!