David Romanelli has been teaching Loyola students and coaching the Loyola Debating Society for 15 years.

During his tenure the debate team has earned many awards and has won national recognition for its accomplishments. The last three years Loyola debaters have received first round bids to the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence. Anyone can join the team but only those who are committed make it to the traveling squad, which currently stands at 10 debaters.

During free time, Mr. Romanelli and the team do volunteer work with the Urban Debate League of Chicago, which is sponsored by the Chicago Public Schools System. Members coach ‌at schools such as Walter Payton College Preparatory High School and have hosted competitions for the Urban Debate League at Loyola’s own Water Tower Campus, among other activities.

When asked to describe his personality Romanelli joked and said he was too complex to put into words. He loves to read non-fiction literature such as John Adams by David McCullough and his favorite book is Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of AbrahamLincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin, about Lincoln the complex nature of the personalities in Lincoln’s Cabinet. He enjoys listening to 50’s music, talk radio, live music in small venues, and politics.

His teaching philosophy encourages critical thinking. He said, “I like to see students take the theory they learn in class and apply it to real life situations.”