Bermuda High School came out top in the National Debate Tournament at the weekend.

Both the senior school and middle school finals resulted in an all-BHS line-up competing for the honours in “very close” debates.

But Gladstone Thompson, president of the Debate Society, said that “everyone is a winner”.

Two teams from Somersfield Academy, and a team from the multi-school club Dynamic Debaters and Learners, also competed in the middle school competition.

Dynamic Debaters and Learners competed with teams from CedarBridge Academy, Saltus and Somersfield, as well as BHS, in the senior competition.

Seniors debated the motion that “this House would ban electronic cigarette advertising”.

BHS’s undefeated Team A of Cree Dunn and Gisella Filice, both International Baccalaureate 1 and Kristy Sanchez, Year 10, beat Team B, made up of Linnea Kuruvilla and Hailey O’Donnell, both Year 11, and Salayah Stange, Year 10.

The motion up for debate in the middle school final was that “this House believes that the voting age should be lowered to 16”.

BHS Team A, Elodie Manning and Grace McFadden, both Year 8, and Christina de Kock, Year 9, beat BHS team B, made up of Year 9 newcomers Za’Nyah Khan, Marli Spriggs, and Sandtasia Roy.

Robert Higson, BHS debate coach and a history teacher, said it was “a pleasure to see so many debate newcomers do so well and make it to the final”.

Two middle schoolers, Sandtasia Roy and Christina de Kock, debating for the first time, took the best and second-best in competition respectively.

Mr Higson added: “It was also very rewarding to see our fearless graduates of middle school, like Kristy Sanchez and Salayah Stange, do so well at the senior level.”

Mr Thompson said most teams involved won at least one debate — and thanked everyone who stayed to watch the finals.

He added: “That lends itself to a healthy competition — and there’s always next year.”