Debating the big issues

Term 4 saw the launch of the College’s internal debating competition, providing students with the opportunity to apply their Term 3 training to engage in a series of formal debates where students worked in teams to debate contemporary issues.

The final debate occurred in Week 9, with the topic, “Mobile phones should be banned in the classroom”. Given the broader educational context of this debate and the College’s own decision to consider the possibility in 2023, this was a highly topical and relevant debate.

Students on both sides proposed convincing, nuanced, and well-substantiated arguments; however, ultimately, the affirmative team won, by a slim margin. The affirmative team consisted of Pamelia Papacosta, Emma King and Danny Harris. I’d like to thank the College adjudicators for the College’s 2022 debating final – Ms Fiona Webster, Mr Chris Douglas and Annabelle Burgess (Year 12).

The HSIE and English departments are excited to announce that The McDonald College will be enrolling several teams in inter-school debating competitions in 2023.