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Debating & Public Speaking

Barbara Moss

Debating & Public Speaking Coordinator

2018 has been a big year for debating and public speaking at Brunswick Secondary College.   

In the inter-school competition run by the Debating Association of Victoria (DAV), two Senior teams competed in the high-quality Coburg competition. The C-Division team did not lose a single formal debate and with one draw, came equal runners-up.  Meanwhile, the D-Division Seniors did extremely well too, with many knife-edge finishes.  

At the Junior level, there were enough students new to debating from across years seven and eight to form three teams for the Brunswick competition, for which BSC was the host.  Many thanks to Zamyah Papadopoulos-Eric who set up the rooms for all rounds.  

Beginning as novices, the Juniors quickly developed the confidence and skills to apply critical thinking skills in front of a live audience. From losing all three debates in Round 1 of the competition, by the time Round 3 came around, they won every one. 

Another huge achievement in Debating this year, was the kick-start of the inaugural intra-school BSC House Debating competition, which ran throughout Term 4.  Lan Se were the undisputed winners, with the Grand Final played out between two Lan Se teams.  Again, the result was close, but needless to say, Lan Se won. A fantastic part of this program was seeding student adjudicators; Lexi Sharples honed her skills in this role and did a great job. 

The Chatterbox public speaking competition held in Term 3 was once again a very successful event, with many younger participants stepping up to compete.  A highlight of the program was when An Dang of Year 9, one of the Judges Choice winners, presented her winning speech to the whole school at the Term 3 end of term Assembly.  The roaring applause from the students highlighted the value of students hearing one of their peers excel in the art of public speaking. 

With the return of Marianne Hicks next year, she will once again run the program.  It has been a privilege to nurture such an extraordinary bunch of students involved in the 2018 Debating and Public Speaking program. With such brilliant young people engaging so passionately in the world of ideas, it augurs well for the future.  I also wish to thank Isabella Harding, this year’s Debating Captain, for her contribution.