The Salem Debate team dominated the Class 4 field with a 32-8 victory over second place Dominion in the State Championship competition at James Madison University in late April. This win was marked Mark Ingerson's 20th state championship as the Spartans Head Coach. Council recognized both feats by passing Resolution 1497 at it May 12 meeting.

WHEREAS, with a great deal of pride and enthusiasm the City of Salem champions the development of its young people by providing an array of opportunities in both the academic and sporting arenas; and

WHEREAS, throughout the years, our youth have excelled in both areas, bringing numerous accolades to the city and school division; and

WHEREAS, the high school debate program instills in its participants the significance of teamwork and creates accord and purpose among its participants and coaches; and

WHEREAS, The Salem High School Debate Team distinguished itself, the school, and the entire community by being crowned a Virginia High School League State Champion on April 26, 2025; and

WHEREAS, the team’s 32-8 victory over Dominion High School during Class 4 competition at James Madison University marked the school’s second straight state title; and

WHEREAS, Salem won individual state championships in three of four events, led by senior captain Claire Rawlins, who made history as the school’s first Lincoln-Douglas State Champion, going undefeated in state competition while debating whether Artificial General Intelligence is immoral; and

WHEREAS, Rawlins completed VHSL postseason competition with an extraordinary 14-1 record with her only loss occurring in the state semi-finals to the eventual runner-up. She now holds four VHSL titles—two in Speech and two in Debate; and

WHEREAS, seniors U.V. Singh and Grayson Smith went undefeated as they won the Public Forum Debate state title. This marks Salem’s second all-time championship in this event and the first since Garrett Hicks and Sami Hoyer won in 2018; and

WHEREAS, Singh and Smith amassed a 12-1 record throughout the VHSL playoffs while debating the resolution of whether the United States should significantly increase nuclear energy production; and

WHEREAS, sophomore Dylan Hancock delivered a standout performance by winning the school’s first-ever State Championship in Congressional Debate, earning an exceptional 482 out of a possible 500 speaker points in a highly competitive field of 24 participants; and

WHEREAS, the following students also achieved top honors at the state championships:
- Rebekah Steinweg (12th grade) – Runner-up, Congressional Debate
- Luke Stovall (11th grade) and Kody Hinnant (10th grade) – Runner-up, Policy Debate
- Abby Jones (10th grade) – 4th place, Lincoln-Douglas Debate

WHEREAS, the following students also contributed to Salem’s team championship by representing the school at the state level:
- Charlie Bain (12th grade) and Nesa Garcia-Perez (10th grade) – Congressional Debate
- Leah Johnson (10th grade) and Ashley Toapanta (10th grade) – Policy Debate

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SALEM, VIRGINIA, that Council joins with the citizens of the City of Salem in saluting the amazing achievements of the team, Head Coach Mark Ingerson and Assistant Coach Rachel Wurster.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be presented to the coaches and each team member and that a copy be placed on display at Salem High School.