Somerset, NJ — March 31, 2026 — Cedar Hill Preparatory School made a powerful showing at the Garden State Debate League March Tournament, leading all participating schools with a 67% win rate — the highest of the tournament. CHP students secured 22 wins out of 33 rounds, outperforming 140 student competitors from schools across New Jersey.
The tournament was hosted by Cedar Hill Prep itself, bringing together student debaters from across the state for three rigorous rounds on some of today's most thought-provoking topics: the prohibition of opioid medications, bell-to-bell cell phone bans in schools, and the inclusion of student ratings in teacher evaluations. Judges and attendees were struck by the students' ability to engage complex arguments with clarity, confidence, and remarkable depth — a testament to the caliber of young minds being developed right here in Somerset.
Sweeping the Standings Cedar Hill Prep teams didn't just compete — they dominated, claiming three of the tournament's top six placements:
🥇 1st Place — Samarth Dakhera, Nehemiah Kim, Yajur Subramanian 🥉 3rd Place — Sahasra Genupur, Lily Trotta, Samaira Doshi 4th Place — Agasthya Mabbu, Aiden Nguyen, Shivad Desai 6th Place — Pragnya Banigalapati, Kasey Conor, Aaliyah Patel
Somerset Students Among the Top Speakers Three Cedar Hill Prep students earned individual recognition among the tournament's top-ranked speakers — Shivad Desai (5th), Lily Trotta (6th), and the duo of Nehemiah Kim and Samarth Dakhera (8th).
For the Somerset community, these results are a proud reflection of what Cedar Hill Prep has been quietly building — a culture where students are challenged to think critically, speak confidently, and engage meaningfully with the world around them.
Cedar Hill Preparatory School is a Preschool–Grade 8 International Baccalaureate Candidate private school located in Somerset, New Jersey.