Henry Kendall High School’s Year 9 and 10 Debating Team has had several recent successes.
“The team had a fantastic win in their debate against Gosford High School on Thursday, June 3,” said the school’s debating coordinator Katrina Conroy.
“The topic was ‘That we should have a compulsory politics class for high school students’ and our team argued for the negative,” Conroy said.
“While the students at Gosford highlighted some of the societal benefits of politics in schools, our team did a magnificent job of highlighting the potential problems including government corruption, impressionable young people, and problematic parental involvement,” she said.
“The adjudicator commented on how articulate our students were, and how well they worked as a team in producing a consistent line of argument.
“Amelia Stevens was a standout, and I am particularly proud of Hayden Starr and Mason Bruinning who swapped speaking roles and made exponential improvements.
“Our Year Nine and 10 debaters continued their winning form on Monday, June 7, with another excellent performance, this time against Kariong Mountains High School.
“The debate was a tough one, with our team arguing against the idea ‘that vaccinations for Olympic athletes should be prioritised over ordinary citizens’.”
The Henry Kendall High School students won the debate by focusing on the importance of all citizens and not just the select few, and by utilising their extensive knowledge of current events to support their case.
“A special mention to Mason Bruinning and his debate-winning summation at third speaker,” said Conroy.
She said the result put the team in a good position to make the knock-out stage and congratulated the team members for their sportsmanship and expertise.
Source:
Newsletter, Jun 25
Henry Kendall High School