Chatham's excellence in its schools shone forth once again as the Chatham We the People team of 20 won its EIGHTH straight Massachusetts state championship and qualified for the national competition. The Chatham team will compete against schools from all over the country for the 2008 National Championships the weekend of April 25, 26, 27 across the river from Washington, D.C. in Arlington, Virginia.

Chatham debaters win another state title
February 01, 2009 6:00 AM
BOSTON — Chatham High School's "We the People" debate team won its eighth consecutive state championship at the Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston yesterday.

"They were just super," said team coach and Chatham High social studies teacher Thomas Flaherty, who will retire after this year. "They were just superb."

This astonishing string of victories is the result of the inspiration of Tom Flaherty and the dedication and hard work of Chatham high school students over many years. While this crowning victory is the eighth in a row, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that it is the town's 12th state championship. Amazing for one of the smallest school systems in Massachusetts.

The 20 Chatham seniors took the semester-long "We the People" course that Flaherty says "teaches students how to become effective citizens."

They invested another 10 to 12 hours of their own time each week to prepare for the competition, a class requirement.

Through the course, students have learned how to research issues and present opinions that they can defend to teammates, to parents around the dinner table and to critical competition judges.

What they've learned "isn't just about the Constitution any more. It's about life," said senior Ariel Armstrong.

Flaherty is "our biggest critic," she said. "He doesn't sugarcoat anything. It makes us stronger."

Here's a picture of Chatham's 2007 team. Tom Flaherty, the high school teacher who has guided Chatham to this terrific run of state championships, is on the left.