--- title: SR 938. Cedartown High School Debate Team; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr938 cite_as: SR 938, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr938 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr938.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr938/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74012 date: 2026-03-12 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr937.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr939.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr938.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 938 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-12 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Jason Anavitarte - Timothy Bearden - Kay Kirkpatrick - Lee Anderson - Max Burns - Clint Dixon text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR938/2025 upstream_id: 2132147 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - student achievement - debate competition - Cedartown High School - Polk County schools - Georgia Senate recognition --- # SR 938. Cedartown High School Debate Team; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 938 By: Senators Anavitarte of the 31st, Bearden of the 30th, Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Anderson of the 24th, Burns of the 23rd and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the Cedartown High School Debate Team for winning the 2026 Parliamentary Debate World Competition; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the Georgia State Senate takes great pride in recognizing outstanding students whose academic achievement, leadership, and dedication bring honor to their schools, communities, and the State of Georgia; and WHEREAS, Cedartown High School, located in Polk County within the 31st Senate District, has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to academic excellence and student leadership; and WHEREAS, the Cedartown High School Debate Team represented the United States of America in the 2026 Parliamentary Debate World Competition held in Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, from February 6 through February 8, 2026; and WHEREAS, the competition included ten distinguished teams representing six countries: Japan, Hungary, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States; and WHEREAS, competing against elite international teams, Armando Penaloza, Anna Vainrib, and Ande Kate Roper demonstrated exceptional research, analytical reasoning, persuasive advocacy, and teamwork; and WHEREAS, the Cedartown High School Debate Team achieved a perfect record of six wins and zero losses, advancing undefeated through all rounds of competition; and WHEREAS, on February 8, 2026, the team prevailed in the championship finals against Hungary to earn First Place Overall, bringing international distinction and honor to Cedartown High School, the Polk School District, Polk County, the 31st Senate District, and the entire State of Georgia; and WHEREAS, this historic accomplishment reflects not only individual excellence but also the strength of public education and community support within Polk County; and WHEREAS, this remarkable achievement was guided by the dedicated mentorship and leadership of Mrs. Jennifer Cupp, advisor and coach, whose commitment to academic excellence and student development was instrumental in securing this world championship; and WHEREAS, the encouragement, sacrifice, and unwavering support of the families of these students played a vital role in this achievement and deserve recognition and gratitude from this body. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body commend and congratulate the Cedartown High School Debate Team—Armando Penaloza, Anna Vainrib, and Ande Kate Roper—and their advisor, Mrs. Jennifer Cupp, upon winning First Place Overall at the 2026 Parliamentary Debate World Competition. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body extend their gratitude to the families of these students in honor of their steadfast support, encouragement, and commitment to excellence, all of which contributed to this distinguished accomplishment. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to Cedartown High School, the Polk School District, the members of the team, their coach, and their families. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate resolution formally congratulates the Cedartown High School Debate Team and its coach for winning first place at the 2026 Parliamentary Debate World Competition in Japan. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia Senate honors the Cedartown High School Debate Team for going undefeated at the 2026 Parliamentary Debate World Competition, held in Kumagaya City, Japan, from February 6 through 8, 2026. The team of three students, Armando Penaloza, Anna Vainrib, and Ande Kate Roper, beat teams from six countries and defeated Hungary in the championship final to win First Place Overall. The resolution commends the students and their advisor and coach, Mrs. Jennifer Cupp, for their achievement, and thanks the students' families for their support. It also directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to Cedartown High School, the Polk School District, the team members, their coach, and their families. The resolution does not change any Georgia law; it is a formal statement of recognition. ### What it does - Commends and congratulates the Cedartown High School Debate Team for winning First Place Overall at the 2026 Parliamentary Debate World Competition. - Recognizes the team's coach, Mrs. Jennifer Cupp, for her mentorship in guiding the team to the championship. - Extends the Senate's gratitude to the students' families for their support during the competition. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the school, school district, team members, coach, and families. ### Who it affects The three Cedartown High School debate students named in the resolution, their coach Mrs. Jennifer Cupp, their families, Cedartown High School, and the Polk School District, all of whom are formally recognized by the Georgia Senate. ### Why it matters While the resolution carries no legal or funding effect, it provides an official, lasting record of the team's accomplishment representing Georgia and the United States internationally, and formally distributes that recognition to the school, district, and families involved. ### Key provisions - The preamble recounts the team's undefeated six win, zero loss record and its championship win over Hungary on February 8, 2026. - The resolved clause commends the three named students and their advisor, Mrs. Jennifer Cupp. - A further resolved clause thanks the students' families for their support and encouragement. - A final clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the school, district, team, coach, and families. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-12) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-03-12) - Sponsors: Jason Anavitarte, Timothy Bearden, Kay Kirkpatrick, Lee Anderson, Max Burns, Clint Dixon - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74012 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr938.md?full=1