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Staff vs. Student Debate
28.11.18
The second annual Staff vs. Student Debate was held last Friday evening, as the shadows grew long, students from Year 6 to Year 12 took part in the opening debates, with mixed teams of different ages practicing their public speaking. The first debate, ‘That it is better to travel than to arrive’ saw the affirmative team of Alex Brodie, Jemima Aungon and Aiden Mustey take on the negative team of Breydon Verryt-Reid, Liam Nott and Edie Jones in an entertaining debate with some unexpected turns and clever rebuttal. The second debate, ‘That fairy tales are good for children’ saw the highly experienced Evangelia Wichmann and Baie Perryman, supported by Edie Jones form the affirmative team in a few short hours after the original team was unable to compete, against the negative team of Sarah van Rijthoven, Amelia Taylor and Laura Cesario. This was a closely fought and frequently funny debate which stretched every participant beyond their comfort zone.
The main event of the evening, however, was the Staff vs. Student debate. As the crowd grew, so did the anticipation. Taking the affirmative side of the topic ‘That the only thing we have to fear is fear itself’ was the staff side, consisting of Katrina Mott, Adam Taylor and Jason De Nys. The highly experienced student team of Alex Brodie, Evangelia Wichmann and Baie Perryman argued the negative side of the proposition. As the debate unfolded, both teams took the time to develop an argument, attack the other team’s argument, entertain the audience with jokes, stories and even a Yoda impersonation, and of course, plenty of good-natured roasting on each side. Unfortunately, there could be only one winner, and this time around it was the teachers. Many thanks to the debating support team of James Gilham, Katrina Mott and Marilena Wilson who all played a significant role in coaching teams and adjudicating the debates. Special thanks also to Ms. Van der Berg from Mount Gambier High School for her adjudication and excellent feedback for all debaters.
Adam Taylor | Teacher