Waller HS Senior Medals in State UIL Debate
In his final year at Waller High School (WHS), Nick Morris has blown away expectations at the UIL State Congress Meet hosted at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. Morris competed against 50 students in 36 schools for two days to win 5th place in the 5A Conference and receive a medal. Congressional Debate is an individual competition that follows the model of U.S. Congress where students write, debate, and vote on legislation. This is the third year Morris has advanced to State in Congress and the second he has placed. In his junior year, Morris placed 7th in State all while competing online due to COVID restrictions.
“I’m proud of the progress I have made in Congressional Debate over the last 3 years. When I first started, I was naive and completely new to the world of Congress and all the complexities of the process,” Morris said. “Now as I walked across the stage for the last time at the State Capitol and received my medal for all of my dedication and achievement, I can look back happily at the ground I have covered.”
Morris competed against 50 students in 36 schools. During the competition, there were 20 pieces of legislation that Morris had to debate in Affirmation (For) and Negation (Against) in passing. To prepare, he wrote several speeches in advance. The competition also includes taking on the role of Presiding Officer (PO), where students are in control of the room including the debates, rulings on legislation, and ensuring rules and procedures are followed. Morris was awarded PO in the preliminary and final rounds. He also had to lobby among other students to convince them to support certain legislation.
From the beginning, Morris’ largest supporters have been his parents, Elly and Brett Morris, and WHS Teacher Andy Hart. After noticing his potential in 8th grade at Schultz Junior High, it was Hart who encouraged Morris to join the Debate team his freshman year. Morris initially joined Policy Debate his freshman year and moved to Congressional Debate his sophomore year. Over time he has worked to hone his speaking skills, research abilities, and strength in communicating and persuading others.
“We are so very proud of Nick and all his success with debate,” Elly Morris said. “It has been an honor to watch him grow in his confidence in speaking, as well as adapting and overcoming challenges, his perseverance of educating himself on current events and researching a multitude of different topics and legislation.”
After graduation, Morris plans to study Political Science and eventually enroll in law school where his interests will be in criminal law and pursuing politics. He plans to continue debating by joining a Mock Trial team in university.