This past Saturday, Jan. 24th, 2026, the Walpole Middle School Debate Team hosted its very first in-house tournament. Led by co-founders and coaches Ramu Muthukaruppan and Tanay Singh, as well as advisors Phillip Gingras and Thomas Warren, the tournament provided students with the opportunity to apply the skills they had been developing in weekly practices, including research, argumentation and public speaking, in a supportive and educational setting. The tournament was designed as a learning experience, allowing students to gain confidence, receive constructive feedback, and understand the structure of competitive debate.
The Walpole Middle School Debate team was founded by Walpole High School junior Muthukaruppan and senior Singh at the beginning of the school year. During their high school careers, they saw firsthand how debate helped them grow as both thinkers and speakers, and wanted to share their passion with the next generation. With the support of eighth grade civics teachers Gingras and Warren, they brought this vision to life, recruiting over 30 students to launch the program.
The tournament began at 8 a.m. with an opening ceremony followed by three rounds of Big Questions Debate discussing the topic — “Resolved: Moral systems rooted in theism are preferable to non-theistic moral systems.” Throughout the day, high school debaters Shaurya Panchal, Sara Axelrod, Blanka Lazri, Sophia Laphleur and Norah Ferguson judged the rounds and provided the middle schoolers with constructive feedback to help them grow. At the end of the day, the top five teams were presented with trophies at the awards ceremony. The rankings were as follows: first place - Ananya Chandramurthy and Ahana Farswani, second place - Isabella Buttaro and Hailey Patel, third place - Jai Chauhun and Aayush Addanki, fourth place - Thomas Valadao and Alexander Butragueno Boyd and fifth place - Jennah Diakite and Aadith Satish; congratulations to all competitors!
Looking forward, the team hopes to continue to cultivate critical thinking and public speaking skills in students at Walpole Middle School. Additionally, coaches Muthukaruppan and Singh hope to take the team to the March Merryness Speech and Debate tournament at Needham High School in March where Walpole students will compete against other middle schoolers across the state. Even in its first year, the program has helped students build confidence, curiosity, and a stronger academic presence in the community. There is great anticipation for how this student‑led initiative will continue to impact the Walpole community.
