On Sunday, five teams of FHS debaters participated in the prestigious LSE Schools’ Debate Tournament which saw schools from across Great Britain participating. The girls had a brilliant day, and our Year 8 team, Vicky and Cyra, were unfortunate not to progress to the finals. The teams consisted of Hania S, Kaila N, Bela G, Vicky D A, Cyra M, Emily P, Lara P, Serene K, Zara B, Alexia A. Please see below some feedback from some of the participants.
On Sunday November 19th, 10 of us in Debate Club went to the all-day LSE debate competition. We had three rounds and the debate topics ranged from: ‘Should parents put microchips on their children’, ‘Should we ban sport enhancing drugs’ and ‘Do you support the YOLO lifestyle’ with an information slide. We all had a great time making our speeches and giving rebuttals, and the day flew by so quickly. Even though we didn’t make it through to the finals, it was an overall great experience and we learnt so much. This was such an amazing opportunity and thank you to Miss Wigdahl for organising such a fantastic day. – Cyra M, Year 8
Looking around and witnessing everyone from different schools participating made it an extremely exciting atmosphere and it was definitely a new environment! Since it was a BP (British Parliamentary) debate tournament, there were four teams participating (OG,OO,CG,CO). Before deciding, each judge would wait for each person to complete their five-minute speech. Even though we weren’t delighted with our third-place finish in the first round, we were delighted and energised by out last round in which we secured first place. Each judge provided extremely valuable feedback and all in all, it was a very wonderful experience – Serene K, Year 9
On Sunday, I participated in a debate competition and competed against people older than me. Although it was difficult, I didn’t worry about the age difference. Instead, I made some friends, collaborated with my teammates, discussed issues and points of clash, and had fun. There were three rounds of debate with only 15 minutes preparation time. At first, I didn’t think this was enough, but I quickly realized that once you understand and purely brainstorm your arguments, it’s easy. Miss Wigdahl, and Maria the Debate Coach were there, and they were very supportive and kind throughout the entire process. All in all, it was a great day. I hope I have another chance to participate! – Bela G, Year 7
We are so extremely impressed by the enthusiasm, dedication, and drive that our Debating Teams show, both in our training sessions and in competitions are very grateful for all support.
Miss Wigdahl, Head of Debating
