Term Three has seen Year 7 and 8 participate in the MISA Debating Competition with two rounds completed thus far. 

In Week Three, Year 7 participated in their first MISA debate against Mount Carmel Catholic College exploring the potential benefits of being an only child. The topic for this debate was That only children have it easier than those with siblings and Year 7 put forth some very compelling arguments as the Affirmative team. For their very first time working together as a team, our Year 7 debaters did a commendable job and demonstrated some very strong skills, attributable to their passion. Although the team did not come away with a win, they were provided with valuable feedback from the adjudicator to consider in the following weeks. 

In Week Two, Year 8 met Mount Carmel Catholic College in a competitive debate about the legal age of drivers in Australia. They were the Affirmative team in the first round arguing that The legal driving age should be raised. The team put forward a very convincing argument with the teamline, “If you don’t trust them with beer, don’t trust them to steer”. This, along with a very well researched case saw the Year 8 Team coming away with a win and some goals to work on their refutation skills in the coming weeks. 

Round Two of the MISA Debating Competition held on the 16th of August saw Year 7 go up against John Therry Catholic College as the Negative team. Our Year 7 debaters were in disagreement with the topic That teachers should wear uniforms. The basis of the team's argument was that uniforms for teachers allowed for “no expression, less safety and less protection”, incorporating a variety of well researched examples and statistics to further support their ideas. In a short span of time, Year 7 demonstrated a significant improvement in their ability to work as a part of a team and plan a well structured debate. Unfortunately, the opposition was stronger and presented an informed, cohesive debate that earned them the win for this round. Congratulations to the wonderful Year 7 team on your effort and enthusiasm!

This Tuesday 16th August, Year 8 were up against John Therry Catholic College and this time the team were Negative fighting against the topic of That junk food should be banned in schools. In a clear discussion of the importance of educating young people about being responsible and making healthy choices, the Year 8 team once again took out the win where they were commended on their skills in the craft of debating. Their utilisation of voice, high modality of language and eye contact, assisted them in putting forward a very cohesive and strong case. Congratulations to our Year 8 debaters who have had a great start to the season, we can not wait to see how you grow throughout the year. 

Miss Natalie Azzopardi and Mrs Katherine Power

MISA Debating Coordinators