Debating Update

Premier’s Debating Challenge (Year 11, Round 2)

In Week 10 Term 1, I had the privilege of acting as the timekeeper for the Year 11’s Round 2 Premier’s Debate, against Hurlstone Park Agricultural Highschool.

Fort Street argued that athletes should be faced with a lifetime ban from their sport, if found guilty of serious crimes, which of course was defined more specifically within the debate, and Hurlstone arguing for the counterpart.

Within it, I observed sophistication and passion from both school’s speakers, which was not lost, even through the occasional glitchy audio, and technical issues of zoom.

As I silently watched and took notes, potentially through bias, I was very persuaded by our team’s arguments. I found them convincing and well put together in response to the opposing team’s case.

I was disappointed when adjudication came around and Fort Street unfortunately lost the debate, but our team put forward excellent arguments.

Overall, the experience was incredibly enlightening, and also exposed me to the jump in levels of articulation, structure, and content found within senior debating. I will definitely be taking some notes down for myself, and my team to learn from.

by Emma Wang, Year 10

On Monday 11th May, our senior debating team went up against Casula High School in the Premier’s Debating Challenge competition. The topic of the debate was: “That university athletes should be paid.”

Our team argued on the basis that scholarships were already available, that other subjects (such as STEM and the Arts) should be prioritised, and that not all student athletes would become professionals in the future. On the other hand, Casula argued that such funding would specifically help disadvantaged backgrounds, that it would help student athletes build the basis for their career, and that it would aid student athletes in paying off their student loans.

Overall, the debate was great and our team was able to put up a strong case, but unfortunately, Casula ended up victorious. We wish them all the best in their future debates and would like to congratulate our team for putting up a strong case and representing Fort Street High School well.

by Samuel Hao (Year 10) and Srishti Mittal (Year 9)