Debating 2024 Wrap-up

Thank you to all involved in the 2024 Debating CSDA Competition this year. Whilst we had no teams go through to the Elimination Rounds or Quarter Finals, the quality of debating increased each week this year, and the more current topics helped focus the debating on speaking and team skills. All of this stands us in good stead for 2025. 

Our students were ably supported by Ms Atkins, Ms Freckmann, Ms Rombola, Ms Souter, and Mr Capizzi, as well as a host of ex-students and a parent who stepped up this year to support the teams and adjudicate. We were also very fortunate to have wonderful parental support this year with many parents on hand to watch home and away rounds. Many thanks to all of you for your great support of the students in this increasingly popular co-curricular event.

I would like to add that there were some great students assisting this year, in particular, Astrid Mavroudis, our Debating and Public Speaking Prefect, who kept the ball rolling and hosted the home rounds during the season. Well done Astrid! Aoife Foley, our Humanities Prefect, was also instrumental in ensuring our students were well prepared with current topics to draw examples from, creating a summary document of current events which enabled our students to move beyond well-worn examples in their arguments. Aoife was also the driver behind the slick organisation of the Timekeepers and Chairpersons for our home rounds. 

Some things to note from the 2024 season:

• Domremy has a strong culture of debating and the high numbers of girls involved in Years 7 and 8 was a real highlight of the year
• having 12 teams this year meant that we were drawn with some very strong schools 
• we had some forfeits this year and, while not ideal, these were minimal and to be expected at times. To alleviate more forfeits through the course of the season, many girls stepped up and into new teams demonstrating the “growth mindset” we cherish at Domremy; this offered great experience for our girls and an opportunity to speak up an age group and/or a division
• the large numbers of girls supporting our debaters as audience, or chairperson or timekeeper was very heartening and allowed for a smooth running of home rounds in particular; this really demonstrated the spirit for which Domremy is well-known
• with no byes this year, our girls should be commended for fronting up to debate each week.

We will shortly wrap up the season with a celebration for all students involved in CSDA Debating in 2024.

Mr Matthew Ryan, Assistant Principal