The Chesterton High School Speech and Debate team has announced the names of the students participating in this year’s Valparaiso Chain of Lakes Watershed Group’s annual Environmental Debate, to be held on April 15th at 6:30 pm at the Porter County Administration Building in Valparaiso. Payton Whalen, Sophia Worden, Patrick Hansen, and Emily Fleishhacker will pair up into team teams to tackle this year’s debate topic, “Should local governments limit use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers on lawns and gardens?”
“The annual environmental debate provides our students with a fantastic opportunity to both hone and showcase their skills,” stated Josh Coots, coach Chesterton Speech and Debate Team.
Payton Whalen is a senior at Chesterton high school, and has been a member of debate for 3 years. Other than debate, Payton is a member of the CHS show choir and the national honors society. He’s a national merit finalist, and will be attending Purdue to study engineering this fall.
Sophia Worden is a senior who has been a part of the Chesterton Speech and Debate team since her freshman year of high school. Over the course of her time in the program, she has briefed many articles, researched topics extensively, and has spent a lot of time helping her younger teammates. Her hard-work and dedication to the program led to her being selected as the 2024 District Student of the Year. She will finish her debate career this summer when competing at Nationals in De Moines, Iowa.
Patrick Hansen is a junior at Chesterton High School and has competed on the Speech and Debate team for 3 years. He has also participated at Indiana University’s debate camp this past summer. Throughout his three years at CHS, Patrick has loved to debate topics related to agriculture and the environment.
Emily Fleishhacker is currently a senior at Chesterton high school and has been competing in Lincoln-Douglas debate since her sophomore year. She has also competed in United States Extemporaneous speaking this year. Her dedication to various commitments such as Speech and Debate, volunteering at an animal shelter, 4-H, and her education led to the Science department selecting her as the Chesterton-Porter Rotary Club Student of the Month. Emily works at a veterinary clinic and will eventually attend veterinary school after her undergraduate studies. She is passionate about environmental advocacy and its impact on both human and animal health.
Each year, the Valparaiso Chain of Lakes Watershed Group sponsors a high school environmental debate in order to provide entertainment, inspiration & motivation to the general public.
“We strive to build appreciation of the importance of debating environmental issues, to see both sides of an argument, and to recognize the talent of our student teams,” said Walt Breitinger, president of the group. "The students appreciate the chance to demonstrate their skills and move others to sharpen their own. Those who attend are reliably in awe of the abilities displayed by these award-winning debaters.”
This year’s debate topic is “Should local governments limit use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers on lawns and gardens?” Past debate topics have included Genetically Modified Organisms, The XL Pipeline, Alternative Fuels, Poverty vs. the Environment, Fracking, Off-shore Drilling, Factory Farming, Mitigation vs. Adaptation As Best Strategy For Dealing With Climate change, The Advantages of a Carbon Tax as a means of Reducing Pollution, and Should Single Use plastics Be Banned.
Debaters and the audience are invited grab a bite to eat next door at Uncle Menny's Greek Pizza, immediately following the debate.
For further information please text or call Walt Breitinger at 219-477-7526.