May 14, 2025 (blockclubchicago.org) – Chicago now boasts two sets of national debate champions after a pair of Chicago Public School students recently took home titles in both English- and Spanish-speaking competitions.
Kenwood Academy seniors Kate’lynn Shaw and Amanti Washington and Back of the Yards College Prep students Ángel Tierrablanca and Wendy DePaz bested dozens of competitors last month to take top honors at the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues in Atlanta, with Tierrablanca and DePaz winning the Debate En Espanol competition.
Shaw and Washington also represented Kenwood at the Tournament of Champions on the University of Kentucky campus in late April, winning three out of four rounds and competing alongside students from Whitney Young Magnet High School and Walter Payton College Prep.