Archdale Debaters Secure Overall Shield for 2025

On Tuesday evening, we had the privilege of hosting the Archdale Grand Final in the Senior Centre. As is tradition, the school that wins the overall shield hosts the following year’s Grand Final. The competition comprises eleven divisions, with participation from twenty-four schools, requiring all eleven debates to be conducted simultaneously during the Grand Final.

The Archdale competition, an annual debating tournament for girls’ schools, commenced in early May. Teams compete in seven preliminary rounds, followed by a series of finals, culminating in the top two schools from each division contesting the September Grand Final. Throughout the tournament, teams accumulate points based on their performance in each round, with the overall champion determined by the highest final tally. Additional points are awarded for reaching and winning divisional grand finals, making the final outcome dependent on the results of these concluding debates.

This year, all MLC School teams delivered outstanding performances, leading the standings after seven rounds. Five MLC School teams advanced to their respective Grand Finals, and their exceptional achievements secured our school the shield for 2025.

The dedication and effort of all sixty members of the MLC School Archdale team have been integral to this success. Our debaters are to be commended for their commitment and rigorous preparation alongside their coaches over the past four months.

For a full report on each of our five Grand Final teams please see the co-curricular section by clicking here.

– Dr Andrea Rowe
Oratory Co-ordinator

Featured photo is of Archdale Grand Final 2  – Group with Archdale Overall Shield Trophy.