Piper High School hosted its annual debate tournament on Saturday, inviting schools from across the Kansas City metro area to compete. The event was running smoothly until round five, when a pulled fire alarm abruptly ended the competition.
“It took what was otherwise a really wonderful, smooth day that my kids worked really hard to pull off and made it just absolute chaos, and so it just feels really invalidating,” said Tori Deneault, Piper debate coach.
The alarm interrupted multiple rounds in progress. Quinn Thompson, a student from Lawrence High School, said, “I am really upset. We had a really good chance of winning, and I was interrupted in the middle of our rebuttal.”
Acting Kansas City, Kansas Fire Captain Matt Wardwell, who was on site, confirmed that someone had pulled the fire alarm.
The disruption also affected the judging process. Andrea Morales, mother of Piper student Xavier Morales, was serving as a judge during round five. “I was in the middle of writing the final numbers,” she said, explaining that the alarm interrupted her ability to complete her ballot.
The incident brought an unexpected end to a day that had otherwise showcased the dedication of students and staff involved in the tournament.
