Senior School Debating
Blue Mountains Debating 2023
Year 7 Team: Bronte Secker, Gabrielle McGhee, Alethea Cooper. Maiya Edwards, Fox Edwards Lorence Hampartzoumian, Grace Wesley, ,George Kineally, Theodore Russell
Team Report by Bronte Secker: This year in debating a lot happened to say the least. Debate after debate, slowly getting better, realising what worked and what didn't. We grew as debaters and as a team. We quickly figured out what role suited everyone, and how we could change it up so no one got stuck being a team advisor for every single debate. I also saw myself grow as a third speaker, from my first debate with this team. I learned how to summarise around 10 minutes worth of speeches into 3.5 minutes, which I know I wouldn’t have been able to do before.
It’s also been interesting to look back and see what we would have changed, especially now when we know how to deal with all the unique challenges that came with each speech. For one of our debates, we had to prepare both sides of a debate and do a coin toss on the day of the debate effectively doubling the speech writing. Then there was the time where I left my speech the night before, and finally, our Semi final debate where we only had the weekend to prepare our entire debate for the comp on Monday.
Don’t let that stop you though! It was still incredibly fun and just an awesome experience. I owe most of that fun experience to my team. I find that your debating experience is mainly determined by your teammates, and I can owe almost all of this enjoyable experience to my teammates Gabby, Aletheia and Maiya. I would also like to thank Mrs Grassmayr and Sophia Huckel for both their expertise, advice as well as helping guide us into growing as (now champion!) debaters. Doing every debate with them this year has just been super incredible. So if you’re reading this, Thank you Gabby, Aletheia and Maiya for this amazing experience, you are all astounding debaters and I hope you know that. I hope to have the opportunity of debating with you in the future, but for now, have a great rest of term, and after that an extraordinary holiday!
Year 8 Team: Lucy Hargraves, Armando Aguirre, Luke Gibson, Olivia Laws, Henry Laurie, Zariya Janine, James Klein, Caitlyn Ramaiya, Dante Oliver
Team Report by Lucy Hargraves: This year there were two Year 8 teams competing in the Blue Mountains Debating Competition. Grammar 1 and Grammar 2 worked hard all throughout the year, debating some difficult competitors throughout the Blue Mountains. Grammar 2 made it to the Finals, after winning all three previous debates. They debated against Winmalee High School in the final and, after a difficult and interesting debate, they lost, finishing Runners-Uup. Grammar 1 unfortunately did not make it to the Finals, but they debated well all season, and spoke about several difficult topics. These included celebrities should have private lives, that sports drug cheats should receive a lifetime ban, and that video games promote violence. Everyone was enthusiastic and did an excellent job.
Year 9 Team: Ruby Brajkovic, Zia Mamo, Audrey Clarke, Soraya Saban, Ruby Gale, Iluka Horne, Giselle Brogan, Angie Collins, Lola Dragons
Team Report by Ruby Brajkovic and Zia Mamo: On Monday, 16th October, we travelled to Winmalee High to compete in the semi-final round of the Blue Mountains Debating Competition. Our first debate of the day was against Springwood 2, with the topic being ‘That television warps our view of life.’ Our team was for the Negative and we took the win after a difficult debate. Due to our win, we made it to the Finals which were held later that day. We were against Springwood 1 and the topic for our debate was ‘You can have too much fun’. Once again we took the Negative and, after a long, and challenging debate, Springwood won. After the two debates, we placed second in the whole competition and received a trophy.
Year 7 - Winners of the Final
Team 1: Gabrielle McGhee, Aletheia Cooper, Bronte Secker, Maiya Edwards
Year 8 - Runners Up
Team 2: Lucy Hargraves, Luke Gibson, Olivia Laws, Henrie Laurie
Year 9 - Runners Up
Team 2: Zia Mamo; Ruby Brajkovic; Audrey Clarke (Absent on the day of the Finals); Soraya Saban
Well done to all our great Debaters for 2023, and my particular thanks to Sophia Huckel (Year 10) for her assistance in coaching the teams.
Mrs Jacqueline Grassmayr
MIC Senior School Debating