Oratory Article
Last Friday’s Competition Debates
Last Friday’s ISDA and Eastside debating competitions saw some outstanding performances by Cranbrook teams:
- Our Year 8, 9, and Senior A ISDA teams won their Quarter Final debates last Friday
- They all progress to the Semi Finals this Friday – half our squad making it to this level for the first time
- Unfortunately, the Senior Bs were knocked out on the negative side of a government job guarantee policy debate against Riverview
- Our Years 7 and 11 Eastside teams won their Semi Finals last Friday
- They progress to the GRAND FINAL this Friday!
- Years 9 and 10 were knocked out.
Competition Debating this week
This Friday 31st May sees the following debates take place:
| Details | ISDA | Eastside | Cranbrook Internals |
| Round | Semi Final | Quarter Final | Preparation for CAS |
| Venue | Year 8 will debate at St Aloysius; Years 9 and Senior As will debate at Ascham. | Years 7 and 11 will debate at Rose Bay Secondary College. | |
| Address | 47 Upper Pitt Street, Milsons Point NSW 2061 (St Aloysius); 188 New South Head Rd, Edgecliff NSW 2027 (Ascham) | 34A Hardy St, Dover Heights NSW 2030 | 5 Victoria Road, Bellevue Hill, NSW 2023 |
| Entry via | The best entry and exit points on the night are through the green iron gates opposite 47 Upper Pitt Street. Signage from this gate will lead you to The Bellarmino, our meeting point (St Aloysius). Debates are being held in the Margaret Bailey Building on our main campus. Please refer to 12 on the attached map. The best entry and exit on the night are the Main Gates on New South Head Road, where we will have students at Wallis Reception to meet you and take you to the meeting point (Ascham). | Please only enter the campus from the Hall entrance on Hardy Street (follow the path on the right-hand side of the school signage) and walk into the foyer and then into the Hall. | Rose Bay Avenue pedestrian gate, down to Level 4 of the Vicars Centenary Building. |
| Transport | Debaters travelling to St Aloysius will do so by taxi service (return transport to Cranbrook available). Debaters travelling to Ascham must make their own way. | Debaters and spectators to meet at Rose Bay Secondary College. | N/A |
| Years 7-9 debate / finish | Debates start 5.45pm / Debates finish 7.00pm | Debates start 6.15pm / Debates finish 7.30pm | Internal debates will conclude at 6.45pm |
| Years 10-12 debate / finish | Debates start 7.15pm / Debates finish 8.45pm | Debates start 6.15pm / Debates finish 7.30pm | Internal debates will conclude at 6.45pm |
| Topic area | None advertised | None advertised | None advertised |
| Spectator policy | Spectators welcome. | Spectators welcome. | Not open to spectators |
For non-finals internal debates this week:
- ISDA 7s and ISDA Senior Bs supporting at Rose Bay Secondary College
- Arrive by 6.00pm and finish by 7.30pm
- Eastside 8s and 9s at Cranbrook
- Training 3.45pm, Prep 5pm, Debate 5.45pm
- Eastside 10s, 12s and ISDA 10s at Cranbrook
- Training 3.45pm, Prep 5pm, Debate 5.45pm
A reminder that all Years 7-9 debaters must be collected by a parent or guardian at the end of the night.
Friends of Public Speaking: save the date
Family and friends of students involved with our Monday afternoon Public Speaking Club are asked to save the date of 6-8pm on Tuesday 18th June for a special evening. Students will be showcasing speeches they have been working on. More details will be published next week.
Upcoming oratory events
- Model UN on lunchtimes Wednesday 29th, Thursday 30th, and Friday 31st May
- Mooting, Mock Trial and Social Debating 3.30-5.30pm Thursday 30th May
- AMEB Voice and Communication 3.30-5.00pm on Friday 31st May
- ISDA Semi Finals and Eastside Grand Final debates on Friday 31st May
- Bond University Schools Mooting Competition (Nationals) at Bond University, Gold Coast Qld, on Saturday 1st June
- Public Speaking Club on Monday 3rd June
Annual House Debating Competition commences
The first round of the senior division of the 2024 house debating competition happened on Monday and Tuesday this week. Houses involved sparred over the topic ‘That senior students should be given the option of attending classes in person or logging into online lessons and tutorials.’ There were some terrific arguments made around responsibility and ownership vs trusting young people to make sensible choices, as well as some insight into how a hybrid education system would impact different kinds of students and teachers.
Congratulations to Strickland, Thomas, Harvey, Hone, and Northcott for their wins. The first round of the junior division is this Friday, and the second round of the senior division takes place next Monday. We wish all houses the best of luck.
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