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VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – On Monday, September 23rd the Valley City High School Student Congress team traveled to the East Student Congress Tournament with 23 competitors.

Student Congress is a NDHSAA Sponsored Activity that is essentially legislative debate. Students debate resolutions and bills that were drafted by their peers the previous competition season.
This legislation is usually divided into 4 different committee areas: Public Welfare, Ways and Means, Foreign Affairs, and State and Local. Students debate 5 different pieces of legislation at each tournament in each chamber.

At the East Congress Tournament there was 185 kids dispersed through 7 different chambers. Senate is the highest chamber and typically has the oldest and most experienced competitors. House I is the next highest chamber and it goes down through House VI (which is the lowest chamber and typically the newest, least experienced kids).

We had a successful tournament with several students just outside placing range. Lily Douglass (Grade 10), Haley Dalgliesh (Grade 12), and Abby Redfearn (Grade 8) all were sponsors of legislation and gave introductory speeches for a piece of legislation concerning changing the State of ND Academic Scholarship Requirements. Olivia Slyter (Grade 11) placed 4th in House I.

On Monday, October 14 the Hi-Liner Congress team traveled to Mandan for the West Congress Tournament. 21 competitors traveled to this tournament. Leah Hochhalter (Grade 7) sponsored a piece of legislation and gave an introductory speech about including China in the USMCA Trade Agreement to promote free trade. Many students received perfect scores on speeches (a perfect score is a 10) at this tournament.

Placing for the VCHS Student Congress Team at the West Student Congress tournament are as follows:
Lillian Kiefert- Senate (3rd Place)
Makayla Nehlich- House I (4th Place)
Ayden Grace McPartland- House VI (3rd Place)

Next up for the Hi-Liner Student Congress team is the NDHSAA Student Congress Tournament held at the Capital Building in Bismark, November 7th and 8th.