Oratory Article
Last Friday’s Competition Debates
We are pleased to announce the following update of the ongoing finals results for the ISDA and Eastside debating competitions:
- Our Year 8, 9, Senior B and Senior A ISDA teams all progress to the Quarter Finals this Friday
- Year 8 won their Octo debate against Sydney Grammar and the Senior Bs won their Octo debate against Queenwood, joining the 9s and Senior As from the week before
- Our Years 7, 9, 10 and 11 Eastside teams all progress to the Semi Finals this Friday
- Years 7 and 11 came 2nd in the preliminaries for their divisions
- Years 9 and 10 came 4th in the preliminaries for their divisions
Our Eastside debaters have achieved our strongest finals results since Cranbrook joined the competition in 2013; combined with ISDA, 10/12 Cranbrook teams made debate finals this year!
Competition Debating this week
This Friday 24th May sees the following debates take place:
| Details | ISDA | Eastside |
| Round | Quarter Final | Semi Final |
| Venue | Years 8 and 9 will be debating at Sydney Grammar; Senior A and Senior B will be debating at Riverview. | Years 7, 9, 10 and 11 will all have their debates at Cranbrook. |
| Address | College St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010 (Sydney Grammar) and 115 Tambourine Bay Rd, Riverview NSW 2066 (Riverview). | 5 Victoria Road, Bellevue Hill, NSW 2023 |
| Entry via | Enter via Stanley or College and meet in the AMT Foyer from where you will be directed to the Palladium Debating Rooms (Sydney Grammar). Enter via gate 2 and head to the Archway, where parking should be possible. Walk across / around Gorman field and you will arrive at the Therry building, near the Tennis courts. If arriving via the bottom gate, the Therry building overlooks the Fr. Mac Pavilion and is up the stairs (Riverview). | Rose Bay Avenue pedestrian gate, down to Level 4 of the Vicars Centenary Building. |
| Transport | Debaters travelling to Kincoppal must meet teachers and coaches at the away school. | N/A |
| 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 | None advertised | Non advertised |
| Spectator policy | Spectators welcome. | Spectators welcome. |
For non-finals internal debates this week:
- Eastside Year 8 and ISDA Year 7 out of Level S2 Cutler House Area
- Training from 3.45-5.00pm
- Prep from 5.30-6.15pm
- Debate from 6.15-7.15pm
- Eastside Year 12 and ISDA Year 10 out of Level S2 Cutler House Area
- Training from 5.00-6.15pm
- Prep from 6.30-7.15pm
- Debate from 7.15-8.30pm
A reminder that all Years 7-9 debaters must be collected by a parent or guardian at the end of the night.
Update on Plain English Speaking Competition
Congratulations to Year 12 student Alex Hong for progressing to the Regional Final of the 2024 Plain English Speaking Competition. Alex was one of 17 highly articulate students in his local heats, held at Sydney Girls High School last Thursday. His prepared speech focused on family and the inter-generational issues around dating and relationships. For the impromptu, he spoke on the stimulus ‘white noise’. Commendations go to Owen Woolford, whose prepared speech was a unique take on rubbish collection in Sydney and New York City.
As we saw at Rostrum earlier in the term, speeches that are based on experience or interest, which have a unique take, and that are spoken without aids tend to do best. Cranbrook students who are part of our Public Speaking programme continue to be guided on authentic speech giving by our external coach, Luisa, and English teachers. At the end of this term, we will be holding an evening for family and friends of public speakers to hear a wider range of speeches being worked on in these sessions – details to come.
Update on Mooting Competition
Congratulations to Year 12 students Caspar Nicholson, James Rivlin and Owen Woolford for their recent progression to the finals of the 2024 Schools Mooting Competition. The team, coached by IB Director Mr Nicholas Hanrahan, will be headed to the Gold Coast on the weekend of 1-2nd June to compete against other teams from across the country. This is an exciting achievement, especially for Cranbrook’s first year in the competition. We look forward to reporting on the event.
Upcoming oratory events
- Model UN on lunchtimes Wednesday 22nd, Thursday 23rd, and Friday 24th May
- Mock Trial Competition R2 at Moriah College 2-5pm Thursday 23rd May
- Mooting and Social Debating 3.30-5.30pm Thursday 23rd May
- AMEB Voice and Communication 3.30-5.00pm on Friday 24th May
- ISDA Quarter Finals and Eastside Semi-Finals on Friday 24th May
- Plain English Speaking Regional Final 9.30am-12.30pm at Arts Centre Lewisham on Monday 27th May
- Public Speaking Club on Monday 27th May
Annual House Debating Competition begins next week
The annual House Debating Competition begins next week for junior (Years 7-9) and senior (Years 10-12) divisions. Houses must field teams comprised of debaters and non-debaters, with Heads of Houses responsible for approving teams. This is an excellent way for students who want to try their hand at debating to get involved. In previous years we have seen students who participate to go on to joining our social programmes in the second half of the year.
The senior topic for Monday 27th May is already out, with Years 10-12 set to debate the topic ‘That senior students should be given the option of attending classes in person or logging into online lessons and tutorials.’ The junior Round 1 topic will be released to students this Friday.
Oratory programmes above are fully subscribed for Semester 1
There has been a lot of recent interest in participating in one or more of our oratory programmes listed above. 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 & Student Journalism