Last Tuesday night, students from Years 7 to 12 competed in Round 4 of the Victorian Schools Debating Competition. After weeks of rigorous training and intense practice debates, our hardened debate teams were ready to take on Mentone Grammar and Mentone Girls Grammar. The round was ‘power paired’ which means teams were paired up with other teams on similar win-loss ratios and after, many rounds of decisive victories over other schools, our students were definitely in for a fight.
Additionally, debate preparation was conducted under secret topic conditions. A secret topic is where students find out the topic only one hour before their debate and must prepare with no outside help from the internet, teachers or coaches.
Even though our students were up against older, more experienced students from private schools, they composed themselves with aplomb and confidence. A special mention to Jeremy Thai Chan who, despite being in Year 7, volunteered as a last minute replacement speaker in our A Grade team where everyone else was in Year 12. Jeremy gave an outstanding speech and should be commended for not only stepping up to save our team from forfeiting the round, but for also displaying tremendous courage by debating students 5 years older than himself. He is, without a doubt, the hero of our debate team.
Congratulations to our C Grade Year 10s who won their debate by a decisive margin on the topic ‘that employers should adopt a four-day working week’. Felicitations to Callum Roberts, Ricardo Provenzale and Dylan Brown for their eloquence and taking home the Best Speaker award, again, for their round.
In a moving display of valour, our A Grade team, with the help of Jeremy, courageously debated the three Year 12 strong, power paired, private school opposition on the topic ‘that we should tax organisations based on their environmental impact’. Congratulations to Annie Mey Lee Ea, Jeremy Thai Chan and Alex Vujicic for their incisive performance.
These talented young minds have a bright future ahead of them.
Peter Vicary
Debating Coordinator