Cairns Catholic Schools' Debating Cup
Debating Teams Achieve Outstanding Success
St Stephen’s Catholic College is celebrating an exceptional result in this year’s Cairns Catholic Schools’ Debating Cup, with both our Junior and Senior teams finishing as runners-up in a highly competitive field of 12 schools.
Throughout the competition, our debaters demonstrated impressive critical thinking, persuasive speaking and teamwork, representing the College with confidence and professionalism.
Junior Team
- Georgia Field
- Claire Bateman
- Timika Klemm
- Isabela Valle
Senior Team
- Summer Richardson
- Charlotte Agnew
- Cara Hall-Matthews
Ami Kaur
The Senior Grand Final was particularly memorable, with an incredibly close contest that left the judges deliberating for more than 20 minutes before reaching a decision. While narrowly missing the title, the team’s performance was a testament to their preparation, skill and determination.
The event also marked the final school debate for Year 12 students Summer Richardson and Charlotte Agnew. Having dedicated years to the debating program, both students have been outstanding ambassadors for the College and have played a significant role in its success. Their growth as speakers, leaders and critical thinkers has been inspiring to witness, and they leave a lasting legacy for future debaters to follow.
Congratulations to all team members on their remarkable achievements. Your hard work and commitment throughout the season were evident in every debate, and you should be incredibly proud of what you have accomplished.
A heartfelt thank you also goes to the parents and staff who attended and supported the teams on the night. Your encouragement and presence meant a great deal to our students. Special thanks to Ambre for her invaluable support throughout the year and to everyone involved in helping our debating program continue to thrive.
With such strong performances this year, we are already looking forward to building on this success in 2027!
