Trinity shines on national stage
A GROUP of Cairns students proved they were up with Australia’s best public speakers after winning a virtual debate against a Brisbane school in this year’s NGS National Virtual Debating Competition.
Trinity Anglican School’s Year 9/10 virtual debating team of Stephanie Tung-Yep, Tegan Wells, Mohak Sengupta and researcher Jesse Jorgensen won the affirmative argument for “Australia cannot do without fossil fuels” against St Peters Lutheran College.
TAS senior English and business teacher Janet Van Rijssen said it was the second year the school had competed at a national level with success.
Last year, the school reached the semi-finals.
Pitching ideas from the comfort of their own classroom using Zoom video conferencing and a projection screen, TAS Year 7/8 and Year 9/10 division teams are embracing the opportunity to compete in a virtual environment against 32 independent schools across Australia.
“A contemporary version of what is a much-loved tradition, this 21st century debating platform allows students to efficiently prepare and present arguments about a range of interesting and topical issues to their peers,” Ms Van Rijssen said.
“In a classic, live debate, students and teachers can spend up to 20 hours preparing and polishing arguments.
“In contrast, the senior virtual competition delivers the question to students just one hour in advance of the debate and the debate then takes place in the comfort of their classroom.
“Teams are made up of four students – three speakers and one researcher who assists in the one-hour lead time.”
With online debates scheduled approximately once a month, Trinity Anglican School has so far participated in three debates for each of its teams with a variety of topics from both an affirmative and negative standpoint.
“We are really pleased with the results but, more importantly, it is the personal development students acquire, by having to work under pressure, that sets this experience apart from any other,” Ms Van Rijssen said.