"...And the winner of the 2008 Young Leaders Final Debate Competition is-Carapichaima Senior Comprehensive."

That announcement yesterday brought loud gasps from the school's young debaters, Shinaz Khan, 14, and Darien Jallai, 14, who themselves could not believe they had taken the Champion Trophy.

The two Form Three students faced off against their Tobagonian counterparts, Jamilia King, 15, and Jamila Grote, 15, Fourth Form students of the Scarborough Secondary School, in the final leg of the competition, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Port of Spain.

"I feel very happy and very proud that we made it, but to tell you the truth I never thought we would have won. But we did work very hard and I guess it paid off," a beaming Khan said afterwards.

It was the very first time that Carapichaima had ever participated in the competition and while Khan and Jallai admitted they had little debating experience, they spoke with confidence and were able to argue their points convincingly throughout the debate, impressing the audience and the judges.

The two teams were required to debate the motion: Be it resolved that "Developed Nations Have Created the Present Environmental Crisis for Which Developing Nations Are Asked to Pay a Disproportionate Price".

It was also the very first time a school from Tobago had made it to the final and while their team did not win, the students took pride in the fact that they were able to make it to the final leg.

"I am a bit disappointed we did not win but I am just glad we were able to make it this far. There are lot of other schools who wished they could have been in this position today," King said.

Grote and King argued in favour of the motion, declaring that developed countries were to be blamed for the present environmental crisis. Khan and Jallai, however, counter argued that developing nations were equally responsible for the present global environmental crisis, and should share the responsibility of cutting down their green house gas emissions and in cleaning up the planet.

Environmentalist, Prof Julian Kenny, who watched the students in action, said he was"impressed" with the students adding, "I think that the quality of these debates will put some of our Parliamentarians to shame."