Stage 6 Premier’s Debating Competition
It has been an enthusiastic start to 2024 for the Debating and Public Speaking Club. For the second year running we have had our largest enrollments of students, especially from the Year 7 and 11 cohorts. Students have been eagerly engaging in the weekly Monday afternoon club training, learning the ins-and-outs of debating and honing their public speaking skills.
The Stage 6 Premier’s Debating Competition kicked off with some mixed results from our A and B Teams. The Fort Street High School PDC A team began their season with some very tough opponents, however this did not phase them in the slightest. Their opening round was against one of the competition favorites Sydney Girls High School and after a hard fought debate they narrowly lost. However, they dusted themselves off and turned this around and won their next two debates, moving them into round 3 of the competition. A special mention goes to the team’s victory over their bitter rivals Lindfield Learning Village, last year’s winners, which has given them strong motivation.
The B team consisted of many new faces, most of which had never debated before in a formal setting, and despite this, gave their opponents some tough debates. They too faced off in their opening round against Sydney Girls, narrowly losing, by one point against a seasoned team. Unfortunately they were knocked out in the next round, again narrowly losing. Despite their losses the team learnt some valuable lessons and tricks and I am sure will be using them in their path to victory next year. A big congratulations to all our senior students and we will be cheering on our A team as they go further into the PDC Competition.
Stage 6 PDC Team A
- Johnathan Bonnice – Year 12
- Min Park – Year 11
- Gina Hong – Year 11
- Ella Lo – Year 11
- Toby Smith – Year 11
Stage 6 PDC Team B
- Alexa Salmon – Year 11
- Keith Hoang – Year 11
- Emma Howes – Year 11
- Charlie McQueen – Year 11
- Claire Bentley – Year 11
Mr Tennent (Debating and Public Speaking Coordinator)