Oratory Article
Cranbrook makes history in the ISDA Debating Competition
History was made on Friday night as Angus Malcolm, Caspar Nicholson, Jack Stone, Robbie Wyer and Alex Hong took on and won against thrice consecutive reigning champions Sydney Grammar in the ISDA Debating Grand Final! It was a tremendous evening that saw every seat in Packer Theatre filled and, perhaps more impressively, the normally stoic Head Coach Jerry soar into the air in celebration when the result was announced.
The team held the negative side of ‘That we regret that the UN was established as a non-military body that requires consensus decision making from the 5 major powers.’ Drawing on their combined debating and Model UN wisdom, the Senior As ran an early, targeted surgical strike on the affirmative’s case and impressed most of the judging panel to cast a vote in our favour.
This is the toughest division in NSW debating to win and the speeches from both Cranbrook’s and Grammar’s speakers were awe inspiring, testament to the high personal and team excellence of all debaters who spoke and to the quality of coaching instruction received. Special thanks goes to Conna Leslie-Keefe, who has coached our team throughout the season and who will continue to guide them as the CAS 1sts in Term 3.
The ISDA Senior A shield will soon bear the name of Cranbrook School for the first time. It is a fitting end for our Semester 1 season, which saw 10/12 teams make finals and three Grand Final appearances across the ISDA and Eastside competitions.
CAS awaits us at the end of July, and we now turn our attention to replicating these successes.
Cranbrook at State Final of NSW Evatt Model UN Competition
We now turn to another Grand Final! On Tuesday, Year 12 students Diego Lerma and Alex Hong spoke as delegates of Japan at the 2024 State Final of the Evatt Model UN Competition, held at NSW Parliament. The event brought the best teams from across the state to compete at the highest level, having progressed over hundreds of students who registered and spoke in the heats held over the month of May. Although Diego and Alex did not get much speaking time, they won many allies through corridor negotiations and by applying a charm offensive strategy with countries that were perhaps not as amenable to their proposals and amendments.
At lunchtime, delegations were treated to two guest speakers. Dr Amanda Cohn, a Greens MLC, spoke about the art of negotiation in parliament from the perspective of a minor party on the cross bench and how smaller voices to the major parties can make effective change by harnessing media and other political tools. She was followed by Andrew Mack from the Evatt Foundation, who spoke about the value of Australia’s engagement with the world since the 80s and 90s, and the significance of smaller and medium powers like Australia in helping to shape global conversations and being advocates for democracy and a voice from all quarters.
It’s unclear yet whether our duo will be offered a spot at nationals, which is awarded to between 2-7 teams from NSW in each competition year. We’ll know more in the term to come once other states have concluded their competitions and the national delegation is selected.
We congratulate Diego and Alex for making it to this high level of competition, following in the footsteps of our 2022 and 2023 Model UN seniors who made Evatt finals.
Public Speaking Showcase
On Tuesday evening, public speakers were on display with some truly fantastic speeches they’ve been working on throughout the term. It was wonderful to welcome families and friends to hear the fruits of the students’ labours, with an engaging array of topics presented based on the generally broad stimulus of ‘What Matters’. On the night, we heard about the value of reading global literature, the struggles of learning a foreign language, the experience of spontaneity, whether to get a tattoo, Indian cinema, whether money can truly buy happiness, and even a speech all about the wonderful world of desserts!
Good public speaking attracts the attention of audiences. Great speakers take their room and audience on a journey through storytelling, and that is precisely what those present were able to experience. It was beautiful to witness the diverse ways that students applied what they’ve learnt in public speaking club each Monday afternoon, using their voices and non-verbal cues to communicate with clarity and authenticity. Although the group who presented were at different stages of their public speaking journey – from beginners to seasoned competition speakers – all set a high bar in giving thought provoking speeches that evoked emotions. There was plenty of well-executed humour, too, with students having learned how to moderate comedy in their speech writing and how to execute it effectively.
Sincere gratitude to our public speaking coach, Luisa Baker, who has done a phenomenal job encouraging the best from students and who has so expertly modelled effective speaking to inspire their own responses. Thanks also to Student Head of Public Speaking, Piers Alcott, whose leadership has been second to none, giving his time and expertise to assist fellow students of all ages to find their voice and to use it for effect.
Next semester, students who enrol in Monday afternoon public speaking will have the opportunity to continue developing traditional speech giving, as well as learning the art of impromptu, and they will delve into a wider range of speaking formats such as interviewing, podcasting, and news reporting.
Upcoming oratory events
Term 2:
- Model UN on lunchtimes Wednesday 19th, Thursday 20th, and Friday 21st June
- Mock Trial and Social Debating 3.30-5.30pm Thursday 20th June
- CAS competition training and mock debates on Friday 21st June
- AMEB Voice and Communication group from 3.30-5.00pm Friday 21st June
Term 3:
- CAS competition Round 1 debates (away at Trinity) on Friday 26th July
- Public Speaking Club 3.30-5.30pm Monday 29th July
- Model UN on lunchtimes Wednesday 31st July, Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd August
- Legal and Social Debating Thursday 1st August
Note, Public Speaking, Legal Debating, and Model UN Semester 2 sign up closes for students 8.15am this Friday 21st June. Students must sign up using the links emailed to them. CAS Debate teams have already been finalised.
Annual House Debating Competition Grand Final winners
Congratulations to Davidson (vs Chelmsford as runners-up) for winning the junior division of the House Debating Competition and to Strickland (vs Northcott as runners-up) for winning the senior division during Wednesday lunchtime! Both debates were close, though the panel adjudications were unanimous in their decisions.
The junior Grand Final topic was ‘That debating should be considered a sport’ and as mentioned last week, the senior Grand Final topic required teams to decide whether an alien spaceship hovering over the eastern suburbs should be attacked or left alone. Although Davidson’s negative side victory means debating won’t be classified as a sport anytime soon, Strickland’s win means the eastern suburbs is safe from a falling alien ship or all out destruction of humankind (unless the aliens are just biding their time, of course)!
Students from the houses involved proved they deserved their spot in the final round, bringing unique arguments presented with flair and humour. Thanks must go to the Years 11 and 12 debaters for their excellent adjudications of the junior division debates, and to the debate teaching team for their judging of the senior division over the past month.
Oratory programmes sign up for Semester 2 closes this Friday
Students interested in signing up for one or more oratory programmes on offer for Semester 2 have received an email inviting them to sign up (closes this Friday 21st June). Programmes on offer include:
- Public Speaking every Monday 3.30-5.30pm
- Social Debating every Thursday 3.30-5.30pm
- Legal Debating every Thursday 3.30-5.30pm
- Model UN during lunchtimes and extra coaching opportunity available (timing TBC)
There will also be additional opportunities to participate in debate training workshops and external competitions throughout Semester 2, including the International Debating Championships in Term 4. Details will be passed onto students directly and published in these weekly updates. Please note that we do not accept parent sign ups on behalf of students.
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