School debating teams vie for championship
Dean of the Faculty of Education, Professor Temmerman,
was pleased with the quality of the students
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Debating teams from schools across the Darling Downs recently went head-to-head during the Queensland Regional Debating Finals at USQ.
Teachers, parents and more than 140 students from Fairholme College, Downlands College Harristown State High School, St Ursula’s College, Toowoomba State High School (Mount Lofty Campus), Toowoomba Grammar School and The Glennie School took part in the annual event.
Regional Queensland Debating Union (QDU) coordinator, Ms Lesley McAuley-Jones said the quality of debating displayed by all teams was excellent.
‘These students and their coaches have worked incredibly hard throughout 2011 and I am honoured to be associated with debating in the Darling Downs region,’ Ms McAuley-Jones said.
St Ursula’s College and Harristown State High School battled it out in the Year 12 Grand Final, with the debating topic of: “That individuals from racial minorities should each hold more than one vote”, with the Harristown State High School team securing victory.
The adjudicators were Adam McAuley, Jan Lowry and Matt Armstrong.
Other winners included:
Year 8: Fairholme College 1 defeated Toowoomba SHS 1
Year 9: Downlands College 1 defeated St Ursula’s College 1
Year 10: Toowoomba Grammar Team 1 defeated Toowoomba SHS 1
Year 11: The Glennie School 1 defeated Fairholme College 1
Emilie Tan, from St Ursula’s College, was awarded Regional Debater of the Year.
The James Cronin Memorial Junior Regional Debater of the Year award was won by Toowoomba State High School (Mt Lofty Campus) Year 10 student Joseph Spearitt.
Faculty of Education Dean and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Partnerships), Professor Nita Temmerman, presented the Faculty of Education Trophy to Fairholme College for having the most successful teams in the Finals Series.
‘I was incredibly impressed with the calibre of the young people who represented their schools in the finals in each of the Years 7 to 12 teams,’ Professor Temmerman said.
‘Debating improves young people’s capacity for oral communication, which is a critical skill even in this age of digital communication.’
‘It provides the opportunity to put yourself in your opponent’s shoes and see an issue from a different point of view, developing greater empathy and understanding.
‘These are skills we foster at USQ and which form an essential component of our graduate attributes and the Faculty of Education is very proud to be a part of the QDU School Debating Competition.’
Contact Details:
Connie-Louise Rego, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 2977