Debating Masters
On Friday 1 August, Padua students from Mornington and Tyabb competed against a score of other schools in the effort to be named Masters of Debating. It was the 2025 SIS Debating Competition. This was Round One, with Round Two happening later in August, so the team’s results are still a secret, but our teams performed admirably.
All teams had to compete in a prepared debate, but also, on the day, had to prepare and argue an unprepared topic. Considering that more people are scared of public speaking than spiders, this is an amazing effort.
Mornington’s Junior team consisted of Patrick Ryan, Jaidah Robinson and Laila Pankhurst, supported by Georgi Foster. Their prepared topic was that Fireworks should be banned. Which they won. Their unprepared topic was that the national anthem should be changed every fifty years. Which they won. Notable points were that Laila joined the team the night before to save the day and acquitted her role admirably.
We had two Inter teams. The first was Cooper Hall, Logan Shelley and Diya Neethu. The second was Millie Smith, Lincoln Pinigiaro and Bonnie Tierney. Both teams argued that companies should have to publicly disclose the salaries of all staff (prepared) and that professional e sports competitions should require all participants to be 18 or older (unprepared). They argued discrimination. They argued child labour. They wouldn’t take my suggestion that the children yearn for the mines. From the mines they came, and to Minecraft they return!
The seniors were Abby Richards, Sophie Kavanagh, Angelique Brun, Ana-Lucia Rosenquist. They tried to convince the adjudicator that prescription medicine should be advertised to the public (prepared) and that politicians should be allowed to use social media (unprepared). Again, I tried to convince them to stand up, say Trump and sit down with a satisfied smile on their faces, but they went against my wishes, winning the debate by twenty points.
Over the day, the Mornington teams won six out of eight debates and look like a shoe-in to head to the finals in early September. They appreciated the opportunity to mingle with other schools and see the differing skill levels of all the talented debaters from our region. They appreciated growing in their public speaking and debating skills. They received professional feedback from professional adjudicators. And they bonded as a team.
I am incredibly impressed with their efforts. They all seem to be doing six or seven different activities (making times for meetings was almost impossible) but they gave this competition their all and dominated on the day.
Mr Damian Perry
Photos Courtesy: Baron Way, Year 10 MacKillop
