Debate
A Debate Family Reunion
When Silma Bathily got the call from his sister Aminata asking him to come help out the SA debate team at an important tournament, he knew that he couldn’t refuse. It was the last tournament of the year, arguably the most competitive — and he suspected it would be exciting to return to his old... Read more
Success Academy Middle School Historians Want to Change Your Mind — And They Just Might!
Debates are a regular part of the Success Academy Middle School history curriculum. Throughout the year, Ms. Joseph and other SA history teachers build debates about historical figures and events into their lessons. Read more
Rising Success Academy Debate Star Wins Season Opener — Coached by Fellow Teammate
Over the summer, Chase had doubled down on honing his talent, earning two full-ride merit scholarships to top debate camps in New York and Texas. He’d returned to school more than ready to prove himself — but he needed someone older and more experienced in Lincoln-Douglas to help him through the most competitive tournaments. As team captain and as a friend, Tajaih wanted to step in. Read more
Success Academy High School Debaters Storm Atlanta
Three of SA HSLA’s most promising debaters flew to Emory University in Atlanta recently to compete in the Barkley Forum. Extremely selective, the Barkley Forum admits only two or three competitors from schools with strong speech and debate programs each year. This year, juniors Tajaih Robinson and Bintou Cisse, as well as sophomore Silma Bathily, made their way down South to test their prowess against the nation’s top debaters. Read more
Report from the Frontlines: SA Teams Competing Around the Region
Success Academy debaters and athletes competed in some major tournaments this January, marking several significant milestones for our programs. We’re excited to share the news about these incredible accomplishments! Read more
What’s So Great About Middle School, Anyway?
We asked eighth graders from across our middle schools to tell us about what they loved in middle school. Not surprisingly, many recounted how much they loved their electives and team experiences. We’re excited to share with you the reflections of three eighth graders, from Success Academy Harlem North Central, SA Harlem West, and SA... Read more
What Does Success in Middle School Look Like? An Eighth Grader Shares
Have you ever accomplished your greatest dream? Or achieved something so incredible you feel like you’ve conquered the world? If you have, it must feel fantastic knowing you worked through your challenges and ended up with a great ending. But getting to that great ending is like walking on a rocky hiking trail: it’s hard,... Read more
Success Academy Scholars Make History at the Tournament of Champions
On the last weekend of April, two of our high school debaters, sophomore Tajaih Robinson and senior Aida Bathily, travelled to Kentucky to compete in the Tournament of Champions, the most competitive debate tournament in the country. Both of them reached the quarter finals of the Lincoln Douglas (LD) section, placing sixth and seventh respectively out of 88 top debaters from across the country. Read more
In Victory and Defeat, Success Academy Debaters Learn Valuable Lessons at Harvard Debate Tournament
42 middle school scholars and 14 high schoolers from Success Academy competed in the 44th Annual Harvard National Forensics Tournament, where they faced hundreds of top-ranked debaters from around the country in policy debate. The tournament concluded with 36 wins for SA’s 19 middle school teams at the high school tournament. Our high schoolers performed exceptionally well — with SA High School of the Liberal Arts senior Sekou Cisse winning the Lincoln-Douglas division and his peers senior Aida Bathily and sophomore Tajaih Robinson making it to the quarterfinals and earning a trip to the Tournament of Champions in April! Read more
After Early-Season Losses, Success Academy Debaters Finish First in New Jersey Tournament!
On Saturday, January 20, Success Academy Harlem North Central won first place in the Advanced Section at a tournament hosted by the Newark Debate Academy. Forty SA scholars from schools throughout the network traveled to Newark, New Jersey, to participate in the debate. Read more
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