Words & Wit: Choate Debate Shines, Stahlman ’26 Finishes Fifth at Worlds

As students filed into Mr. Sam Jonynas's honors statistics course on Monday, April 13, one familiar face was missing — Andy Stahlman ’26.

The sixth former from the land of the Longhorns was not running late or caught up in another on-campus commitment. Rather, he was across the pond. No, not the pond outside of Archbold — the Atlantic Ocean. From April 11 through April 18, 2026, Stahlman, joined by Debate Team advisor Dr. Amber P. Hodge, was in Bristol, United Kingdom, for the 2026 World Individual Debating & Public Speaking Championships (WIDPSC). Representing Choate Rosemary Hall and Team USA, Andy advanced to the semifinals in the Impromptu and Interpretive categories and the finals of the Debate and After Dinner categories, ultimately finishing fifth overall.

"Every freshman debater dreams of going to Worlds,” he told Chloe Yeung ’28 of The Choate News in 2025.

Andy joined the Choate Rosemary Hall Debate Team as a third former, and it quickly became one of the cornerstones of his Choate experience. Building strong friendships with his teammates and attending tournaments when he could, he evolved as a debater and public speaker. Ultimately, his hard work earned him a ticket to the 2025 WIDPSC in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With a strong performance, he earned a spot in the final round of the Impromptu Speaking portion of the championship. While thankful for the opportunity to travel, compete, and build friendships with other competitors, he was hungry for more."Last year's world championships were great for helping me understand how the tournament runs, what success and failure look like. Making it to the finals was a lot of fun, but my overall ranking was low because I couldn't perform well in the more prepared events," he said.

In his last year at Choate, Andy continued to work hard. Balancing a Capstone Project, honors courses, and his commitment to the School's Jazz Ensemble, among other activities, he strived to earn yet another spot at the 2026 WIDPSC in the United Kingdom. However, he is quick to point out that he couldn't have done this alone, crediting his teammates and Dr. Hodge with motivating him and pushing him to be the best he could be.

"The work that Dr. Hodge has done for me is beyond anything that I can summarize with just words. They have led me through more than just debates and speeches, but have helped me with personal struggles that followed very quickly from last year's Worlds," he said. "Dr. Hodge made debate feel like more than a competition but a family, one that would support me in and out of rounds. A lot of the feedback Dr. Hodge had given me over the year about building up the confidence I needed to have a unique speaking style that worked well this year. They affirmed in me that it's not about being the best debater, but instead being the best Andy."

Dr. Hodge is equally proud of their students. Working with students at all levels of debate, Hodge’s guidance and ability to cultivate a welcoming, team-first atmosphere have allowed the Choate Rosemary Hall Debate Team to foster a sense of camaraderie that is key to success in debate and in life. As fifth and sixth formers have bought into this community of debaters and public speakers, it has laid the foundation for third and fourth formers to take the team to new heights in the years to come.“I expected this to be a great year, as we had several rising seniors who have been committed to debate since their third form year,” Hodge said. “So, our leadership at all levels—from pod leaders to captaincy—has been especially strong this year. I think their passion has inspired underformers, and with continued student buy-in to the program, this class, exemplified by Andy, has well-positioned our debate program for the future. We have a great range of students this year across forms and across areas of interest, and I think that variety is why we’ve done well, particularly in public speaking events.”

Andy may have been the only member of the team to compete in WIDPSC this year, but he is far from the only team member to compete at a high level this season. Whether it's the Wild Boars' second-place finish at Roxbury Latin in September, Zaki Shamsi's first-place performance in After Dinner Speech at Internationals in Maine, or Debate Team Captain Harper Marsden-Uren's first-place finish in Interpretive Reading at Buckingham Browne & Nichols, the entire Debate Team has made the School proud throughout the 2025-2026 academic year.

“We also competed in the International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Competition (IISPSC) this year, which is how Andy qualified for Worlds. In addition to Andy, Zaki Shamsi ’26 and Adelaide Hawthorne ’27 attended that tournament,” Hodge added. “Every Choate debater won a top award at that tournament; Andy came in third in parliamentary debate, won cross-examination debate with his partner Adelaide, and came in fifth overall.”However, as Andy and Dr. Hodge explained, the goal isn't solely to win, but they also take pride in building community with other teams. From competitions around New England to contests abroad, there is a special bond between those who compete in a battle of wits and words.

"This last year has been quite the year to end on. One particular moment at Internationals in Maine, the Deerfield, BB&N, and Choate teams all got together and went out to eat Indian food for dinner," Andy said as he reflected on his last year with the team. "This dinner, ripe with arguments and laughter, helped solidify that while we are in a hyper-competitive league, there is still a strong community present with debate. The friendships made at this dinner, in particular with Salar — a senior from BB&N— further grew and helped us realize that debate has the power to bring us together more than anything."

With the season winding down, only a few more team meetings and a tournament at Deerfield in May stand between Andy, Zaki, Harper, Thandiwe Taylor ’26, and a few other members of the team and Commencement. As May 31st nears, he offers one piece of advice to incoming third formers and rising fourth formers looking to qualify for WIDPSC and build the kind of camaraderie his cohort has.

"I would tell a new student looking to go to Worlds to just get out there and try debate. Go to that novice tournament and see what debate looks like for you. In order to get to Worlds, you can't just become another debater; you have to build your own style," he said. "Furthermore, it takes a lot of patience to get to the position where you can qualify, and it will oftentimes feel like you are incredibly far away from reaching that goal, but you are probably closer than you think. Take each low score and loss in stride and grow from each mistake. But again, the most important thing is to get out there and do it, don't let anything stop you from doing that."

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the 2025-2026 Choate Rosemary Hall Debate Team (via @Choate.Debate)

Editorial Credit: Ryan Shepard '14 is the Manager of Editorial Services at Choate Rosemary Hall, bringing 10+ years of experience in journalism, copywriting, and content strategy.