Oratory Article
Competition Debating
Cranbrook continued its strong start to the season with a near clean sweep against Kincoppal last Friday night, with wins for Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and the Senior Bs.
See below the ISDA topics, for which Cranbrook was affirmative in all debates:
| Division | Topic Area Round 3 ISDA |
| 7 | That doctors should be allowed to overrule parents when making medical decisions regarding children. |
| 8 | That doctors should be allowed to overrule parents when making medical decisions regarding children. |
| 9 | That doctors should be allowed to overrule parents when making medical decisions regarding children. |
| 10 | That healthcare workers should not have the right to strike during emergencies (e.g. pandemics). |
| Senior B | That we support the use of AI in the provision of mental health services, such as talk therapy via chatbot. |
| Senior A | That we support the use of AI in the provision of mental health services, such as talk therapy via chatbot. |
See below the updated tally:
| ISDA Division | Round 1 vs SACS | Round 2 vs St Caths | Round 3 vs Kincoppal |
| 7 | WIN | TBC | WIN |
| 8 | WIN | TBC | WIN |
| 9 | WIN | WIN | WIN |
| 10 | WIN | WIN | WIN |
| Senior B | WIN | WIN | WIN |
| Senior A | WIN | WIN | Loss |
Cranbrook’s Eastside debaters travelled to Sydney Grammar on Friday night for Round 1 of their competition. This is one of our toughest opponents, so it was especially pleasing to see our Year 12s win their debate (as well as Year 9), and Cranbrook equalled its historical average number of wins against this opponent.
See below the Eastside pre-season round topics:
| Division | Topic Area Round 1 Eastside: Ethical Issues |
| 7 | That we should make all students go on a school excursion to an abattoir. |
| 8 | That we should make all students go on a school excursion to an abattoir. |
| 9 | That we should implement Vietnam’s gambling regulations in Australia. |
| 10 | That the government should significantly increase the RTP of all gambling activities. |
| 11 | That the government should significantly increase the RTP of all gambling activities. |
| 11 | That the government should significantly increase the RTP of all gambling activities. |
See below the results for Cranbrook:
| Eastside Division | Round 1 vs Sydney Grammar |
| 7 | Loss |
| 8 | Loss |
| 9 | WIN |
| 10 | Loss |
| 11 | Loss |
| 12 | WIN |
This Friday 8th March sees the following debates take place:
| Details | ISDA | Eastside |
| Round | Round 4 | Round 2 |
| Venue | Kambala | Scots College |
| Address | 794 New South Head Rd, Rose Bay NSW 2029 | 53 Victoria Rd, Bellevue Hill NSW 2023 |
| Entry via | NSH Road Gate, immediately turning left into The Souberian, Minter Building. | Senior School Chapel Gate, meeting at the Coote Theatre. |
| Years 7-9 debate / finish | Debates start 6.30pm / Debates finish 7.30pm | Debates start 6.15pm / Debates finish 7.15pm |
| Years 10-12 debate / finish | Debates start 7.30pm / Debates finish 9.00pm | Debates start 7.15pm / Debates finish 8.45pm |
| Topic area | Social Issues | Law and Justice |
| Spectator policy | Spectators welcome | Spectators welcome |
No bus is provided since all debates are within the Eastern Suburbs this week. Students are required to make their own way to venues after school.
A reminder that all Years 7-9 debaters must be collected by a parent or guardian at the end of the night.
Upcoming oratory events
- Social Debating, Mooting and Mock Trial this Thursday 7th March from 3.30-5.30pm
- ISDA Competition Debating R4 vs Kambala (away) and Eastside Competition Debating R2 vs Scots (away) this Friday 8th March
- Public Speaking next Monday 11th March from 3.30-5.30pm
- Social Debating and Mock Trial next Thursday 14th March from 3.30-5.30pm
- ISDA Competition Debating R5 vs Shore (home) and Eastside Competition Debating R3 vs Reddam (home) next Friday 15th March
Oratory programmes are fully subscribed for Semester 1
There has been a lot of recent interest in participating in one or more of our oratory programmes. However, close date for sign-ups have long passed and we are presently fully subscribed across all debating, public speaking, and Model UN. We are therefore unable to accept new enrolments. However, students keen to gain access to our resources and prepare themselves for Semester 2 sign-up are welcome to reach out to me (note, we only accept expressions of interest from students directly). Sign-up for Semester 2 offerings will circulate via student email in mid-June.
Contact
Should you or your son have any further questions about any of Cranbrook’s oratory programmes, you are welcome to reach out to the Head of Oratory and Student Journalism, Mr Benjamin Smith, at bsmith@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au. In the first instance, students should be making contact about getting involved.
Essential information and highlights for parents will be posted here on Cranbrook Connect as part of the Thursday Link. Students involved in oratory programmes will receive updates via their respective Canvas or TEAMS channels.
Benjamin Smith
Head of Oratory and Student Journalism