Thomas Ayelsworth, the founder of Middleton High School’s Debate Club and a former English teacher, will return to the school on April 16 to speak with current and aspiring debaters. His visit is scheduled from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the North Library Media Center.
Ayelsworth, now a partner and senior litigator at Marcus, Errico, Emmer & Brooks in Boston, plans to discuss his experiences in debate beginning as a student at Stevens Point Area High School and continuing through his time starting Middleton’s debate program before relocating for his legal career. He will share stories about former students’ professional achievements and talk about how competitive debate can benefit participants both personally and professionally.
His appearance comes as Middleton High School’s Debate Club prepares for two national tournaments this spring. Three teams—Sai Kandukuri and Eric Huang; Ananya Subramanian and Audrey Kim; Lauren Engbloom and Grace Kim—will compete at the NCFL Nationals in Washington, D.C., from May 22 to May 24. Additionally, two teams qualified for the National Speech and Debate Association Tournament in Richmond, Virginia from June 14 to June 19: Eric Huang with Andy Wang, along with Ananya Subramanian paired with Audrey Kim. Lauren Engbloom and Grace Kim are alternates for this event.
According to the official website, the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District promotes community engagement through extracurricular activities such as debate club while providing leadership opportunities for students. The district also maintains facilities supporting education from early childhood through high school with an emphasis on literacy, math, social-emotional learning programs according to its official website. The district achieved top ACT composite scores among public non-charter schools statewide according to its official website.
The district serves both Middleton and Cross Plains areas in Wisconsin according to its official website. Dr. Dana Monogue served as superintendent of the district according to its official website.
MCPASD thanked Ayelsworth “for inspiring and encouraging students,” wishing those heading into national tournaments “best of luck.”
