Debating  

As always, our school Debate and Public Speaking Teams have been working hard this term.

Debating

Our Year 11 team of boys fought valiantly in their two debates. With clever arguments in difficult topics, the boys were able to prove themselves excellent speakers. While we were not able to secure the win this time, the students learnt valuable skills that they will use when they come back fighting next year.

Meanwhile, The Stage 4 and 5 teams have been busy preparing for the start of their 2025 season. While most students are not scheduled to have their first debates until early next term, the Year 8/9 team of girls represented the school at Oran Park High School on Monday 23rd of June. Alysah Bliss (Year 9), Ella Santa Maria (Year 9), Chloe Young (Year 8) and Claire Dodd (Year 8) spoke brilliantly about the importance of boarding schools in Australia. While they were beaten this time around, the girls look forward to the opportunity to represent the school again when they go up against Elizabeth Macarthur High School next term.

Public Speaking

This term, Elderslie High School had two students participate in the Plain English Speaking Award. Both Mikalya Marshman (Year 10) and Caitlin Parker (Year 10) spoke beautifully. The girls had completed thorough research into the impact of domestic violence and school funding respectively. Both spoke with passion and pride. They were also required to compose a 3-minute speech in just 5 minutes. Caitlin and Mikayla tackled this task with grace and produced fantastic impromptu speeches. While both girls performed brilliantly, Mikayla was lucky enough to be selected to represent our region at the South West Sydney final.

At the regional final, Mikayla spoke along with some of the best speakers in our region. Despite being in Year 10, she held her own against students, most of whom were in years 11 and 12 and showed them that age is just a number. Her speech was incredibly well received and staff from other schools complimented her on her interesting topic and quality presentation. While she was not successful in moving on to the State final, I am confident that Mikayla will continue to grow as a speaker.

Overall, we are exceptionally proud of all our Public Speaking and Debating students. We look forward to the amazing achievements they will have next term!