La Grange students excel at IHSA Debate State Finals

LA GRANGE – The Illinois High School Association Debate State Finals on March 18 and 19 at the University of Illinois at Springfield ended remarkably for Fenwick High School seniors Ted Steinmeyer and Zachary Stahl.

Their hard work paid off when Steinmeyer took home the title of state champion in the Lincoln-Douglas Debate Division and Stahl claimed state runner-up in the Congressional Debate Division.

Steinmeyer and Stahl, both of La Grange, share the same passion for debate but found their way onto the Oak Park school's debate team for different reasons.

Steinmeyer originally was encouraged by his violin teacher who noticed his talkative personality and thought it would be something he would really grow to love. Stahl’s background with debate started in the sixth grade when he became a part of his middle school debate club.

However, both students provided the same answer for how they prepare themselves for upcoming debates: hours of research and practice, time management and a few sleepless nights here and there.

Coach Mary Beth Logas said this has been Fenwick High School’s best year ever in debate, and it is the “product of hard work.”

“We’ve never had a year like that," Steinmeyer agreed. "And we never thought we’d get as far as we did. There was some great competition this year.”

Logas describes her students as “extraordinary leaders."

“These are brilliant kids who now have the knowledge of so many issues...they really dive into issues and their enthusiasm is infectious," she said.

She also is quick to mention the support of the parents as well as the high school.

“We have a unique debate program at Fenwick, and the backing from the school has meant a lot to us," Logas said.

The boys are extremely grateful to Logas and their assistant coach, Arthur Wieckiewicz, whom they credit as the reasons they made it as far as they did.

The National Speech and Debate Association will hold its weeklong 2016 National Speech and Debate Tournament this June in Salt Lake City, which Stahl, who is the captain of Fenwick’s Congressional Debate Team, and some of his teammates will be attending while missing their graduation.

“We put hundreds of hours into this, and we all got together and decided that this was the right decision to make,” Stahl said.

As far as after graduation, the boys already have chosen their respective colleges and majors: economics and political science at Northwestern University for Steinmeyer and public policy at American University in Washington D.C. for Stahl.