Justin DeBerry {courtesy}
Coral Glades High School student Justin DeBerry won the 2025 Incubate Debate Fall Championship at Jacksonville University earlier this month.
DeBerry finished first in a field that included high school students from 17 Florida counties as well as South Carolina and Virginia, organizers said. Competitors debated feminism, Prohibition, and whether the U.S. should recognize a Palestinian state.
Incubate Debate is a no-cost debate league that holds tournaments for middle and high school students in an effort to challenge them to debate and sharpen their speaking, research, and thinking skills.
Debating on the topic of feminism during his championship run, DeBerry said, “Modern-day feminism does not push an ideology on women … A majority of college graduates are actually female, and a majority of STEM graduates, around 56 percent, are women now. So we’re seeing this great change in our society, becoming a more equal and equitable society, which is something that is good for both men and women.”
James Fishback, president and founder of Incubate Debate, said his inspiration to start the league could be traced back sixteen years ago to the moment he “walked into my first debate tournament at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland,” Fishback wrote in an X post. “High school debate changed my life.”
Fishback said he reminded competitors in the championship that “their goal in debate isn’t to be ‘right,’ but to seek truth. I’m proud of each of them for showing up, giving it their all, and walking out better than they walked in.”
Florida Rep. Dan Daley (D-Coral Springs) took to X to congratulate DeBerry on Monday, commending the teen on his “impressive victory.”
“It’s incredible to see a Coral Springs student shine on the state stage,” Daley said. “Well done, Justin!”
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