Language Arts
Debating
Thanks to those who attended the preseason FED and ISDA meeting. ISDA Round one starts tomorrow with our debaters travelling to St Aloysius. We will be negative.
Pymble ISDA will be at Pymble for Round 2 on Friday 23 February. We will host Knox. NB Year 7 will NOT debate on this date and will have a make up round on May 3.
FED commences on Friday 23 February and Archdale and Social debating start later in the year.
Pymble FED will travel to MLC for Round 1 on Friday 23 February.
Buses will be arranged to most away venues and parents are asked to arrange collection of girls following debates. Girls are not permitted to travel home of public transport without adult supervision. Parents are welcome to watch their daughter’s/ daughters’ debate(s). CCSA will send further details.
Year 11 and 12 FED and ISDA Debaters. Please note that you will have make up rounds due to Formals through the debating season.
This runs in Term 4 and is open to ISDA and Archdale debaters and FED finalists. Further details will be available in Term 3.
Congratulations to Sophie Guo and Averie Sun
Sophie participated in the 38th Stanford Invitational Debating Tournament over the weekend and her team won the competition! Her team won all six of the preliminary rounds and had the highest speaker point total for their division.
Sophie was awarded fifth best speaker for their division of the tournament. Averie Sun also participated and her team placed third in the tournament! The competition was run at around 3 am in the morning, being America-based! Let’s hope our girls have caught up on their sleep. Well done Sophie and Averie. Our Pymble Debaters are certainly world class!
Congratulations, more than a Debating Trifecta!
Congratulations to Jingyuan Liu, Athena Wu and Selina Jiang who recently competed in the Asian Junior Championships Winter Debates. 193 students from China, South Korea, India, Singapore and Australia, attended this event. Jing was awarded best speaker for Australia and Oceania, Athena was awarded second best speaker and Selina was awarded third best speaker and wait for it… Angela Mao was fourth. We are proud of these girls! What a start to the LA year!
Cambridge Schools’ Debating Competition
Congratulations to this formidable British Parliamentary Debating team! On the 27 and 28 January, two Pymble students, Amy Zhang, Year 11 and Alice Mao, Year 10 participated in the above competition and reached the finals, to be held at Cambridge University. Congratulations!
We hear that some will be competing in the forthcoming Junior BP competition.
Public Speaking
Auditions – Junior and Senior 7-12
Rostrum, The Junior and PESA (Senior) Speaking Competition auditions will run after school Wednesday 21 February. Girls must register interest by emailing Mrs Hubbard and Evelyn Zhu, our Captain of Public Speaking. BHubbard@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au; Evelyn Zhu (Year 11) ezhu2025@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au
Topics can be found on the Portal or on the Rostrum NSW website. https://www.rostrum.com.au/voy/information-for-all-students/
The Portal also provides further information and Mrs Hubbard or Evelyn, our Public Speaking captain can outline the procedure. Evelyn is offered a lunchtime workshop on the 13 February in C10.
UN Voice of Youth Public Speaking
Congratulations to Nikita Serban, Isis Li, Catherine Shi and Katherine Pan who attended the Un Voice State Finals at the end of last year. Catherine Shi will now compete in the Nationals in April. Congratulations and best wishes.
MUN – Model United Nations
NSW State MUN Conference, at Pymble – We did it. We launched NSW Student MUN
Pymble hosted the first student led, NSW MUN conference on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 February!
This followed from our successful PMUN Winter conferences in 2022 and 2023. Congratulations to our MUN captain Catherine Shi and her team who worked so hard to ensure all was in place for a successful conference. Students from over 21 schools attended.
Thank you also to all teachers, parents and coaches who assisted. We were delighted to have Dr Hadwen present at our opening and closing ceremonies. Our Pymble girls enjoyed mixing with like-minded students and enjoyed some vigorous debates centered on world politics. Such opportunities allow for displays of critical and creative thinking, collaboration and courage. Listening and Speaking skills are honed! Well done all.
Congratulations Jenny
Congratulations to Jenny Xu who competed at Yale and Harvard MUN sessions in the vacation. Jenny was awarded a coveted Yale outstanding delegate award. The keynote address was given by Ban Ki- Moon, 8th General Secretary of the United Nations.
THIMIUN – The Hague
Mrs Hubbard travelled to The Hague in the recent vacation where she met with board members and the head of THIMUN. We are awaiting an offer to attend the 57th session of THIMUN in January 25. If successful, Pymble will be the first Australian school to attend.
This is a flagship residential event that unites exceptional high school students in Years 9-12 from across the globe, providing them with a unique platform to learn about leadership, diplomacy, and advocacy. Their goal is to empower young minds, foster understanding of global issues and inspire students to become active contributors to shaping our collective future. Pymble students who have attended in past years have enjoyed the experience!
Key details:
Date: 8 to 10 March
Location: The Collaroy Centre an UTS
Topic: The Future of Democracy in the 21st Century
Cost: $270
The conference promises an enriching experience with:
Interactive Workshops: Engaging sessions on critical global topics.
Expert Speaker Panels: Insights from prominent individuals in various fields.
Simulated Crisis Activity: A hands-on experience in crisis management.
Model UN Debates: A platform for students to discuss and propose solutions to international issues.
Registrations are open and will close on 15th February: State conference rego link
If you have any questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to contact the organisers directly at nswstateconferenceoc@unyouth.org.au. They are more than happy to assist you with any enquiries.
Bronwyn Hubbard
Head of Language Arts