It takes more than passion to argue a point well, it takes preparation, skill and tenacity, which are traits that describe this year’s successful debating teams from Good Shepherd.
Of the six teams competing for Good Shepherd Lutheran College, four made it through to finals and two won the grand finals for the Sunshine Coast Schools Debating Competition for 2021.
The Intermediates competed against Immanuel Lutheran College, and the Seniors competed against Sunshine Coast Grammar.
The competition, which has been running since Term 3, includes schools from right across the Sunshine Coast region and is divided into three divisions: Junior (Years 6 and 7), Intermediate (Years 8 and 9), and Senior (Years 10-12).
Mr Matt Armstrong, Head of Seniors Years Studies and debating coordinator at Good Shepherd said, “The competition is a short-preparation format, where teams receive their topics one hour before they speak, and they must work quickly as a team to develop a case line, come up with their arguments, and then present their case in a 45-minute debate.”
“Debating is a vital skill these students will need once they venture out into the business world, so it was great to see how thorough they were in their preparation and how well the teams worked together.”
Good Shepherd’s Intermediate team included Year 9 students Ella Tudor, Indigo Whyatt, Olivia Ashley, and Cate Hardinge, while the Senior team was a mixed Year 11 and 12 team with Katelyn Dyer, Carson Revell, Jemima Harman and Veslemoy Berge-Venter.
Both teams remained undefeated throughout the preliminary rounds, and worked with a great sense of team work and independence as they approached each of their topics.
Good Shepherds Senior Team, Chancellor’s Cup defending Champions 2021 – Katelyn Dyer, Carson Revell, Jemima Harman and Veslemoy Berge-Venter.
Mr Nick Hansen, coach for the Intermediate team, said “The team embraced the challenge and it was great to see how cohesively they worked when presented with the challenges of the topics.”
The Senior team competed without a coach this year, as they had experience from an earlier Senior A competition, which was held online.
Katelyn, Carson, Jemima, and Veslemoy won the Chancellor’s Cup trophy in 2020, so it was great to see them return to defend their title in 2021.
The Grand Final was held at Sunshine Coast Grammar School and was adjudicated by a panel of senior adjudicators who had been volunteering throughout the season.
The Intermediate topic was, “That artificial intelligence does more harm than good”, while the seniors were called to debate the very relevant topic, “That corporations are responsible for the spread of misinformation”.
Competition coordinator, Meg Dunstan, noted how professional the teams worked and how thorough they were in their arguments.
“Both debates were of an exceptional quality, and it was really pleasing to see that level of skill at a Grand Final,” she said.
