The students competing in the Debating Association of Victoria competition have now completed three of the five rounds for 2018. MLMC has three teams entered this year — a Year 8 team and a Year 9 team which both compete in the D Grade competition, and a Year 10 team which competes in C Grade.
On Wednesday 6 June the Year 10 team, competing in C Grade, debated their first 'advised topic', in the area of politics and government. The topic they were presented with on arrival was That we should directly elect our prime minister and we were arguing the affirmative case. Each team has one hour to prepare their speeches without the aid of any electronic devices or teacher support for research. This was a very challenging topic to prepare for without the benefit of prior research. It required the students to have knowledge of our own voting system but also to understand the reasons for direct election and the process that would be required for direct election of the Prime Minister. The negative team had the benefit of being able to rely on the status quo argument — that our electoral system is fine so why should we change it. In the end, this saw the MLMC team beaten by two points. It was an excellent effort by Rebecca Snell, Jamieson Manager and Caitlyn Crymble.
The Year 8 and 9 teams, competing in D Grade, have had some very interesting propositions to debate in their three rounds so far. Preparation for the debates begins about three weeks in advance, with the students meeting at lunchtime to brainstorm topics and to work out what their main arguments will be. Students learn about the specific roles that each speaker has, they learn about presenting a model and the importance of signposting their arguments. The students then prepare their speeches, ready to present on the night of competition at Tintern Grammar
We have had an enthusiastic response to debating this year at D Grade with over 20 students wanting to participate. It has been an absolute privilege to watch these students shine on the night and our results have been fantastic with a majority of wins and several students ajudged best speaker.
Round 1 (24 April): That the Olympics should expand to include non-sporting events. Both teams represented the negative.
MLMC 1 (Brianna Moore, Keisha Sinderland, Ethan Prentice) lost to Yarra Valley Grammar.
MLMC 2 (Endia Hicks, Baxter Lil, Jamie Speight) defeated Norwood Secondary College. Best speaker: Baxter Lil.
Round 2 (16 May): That we should prohibit gambling advertisements. Both teams represented the affirmative.
MLMC 1 (Kahlia Dewar, Ella McNair, Charlotte Lorbeck) defeated Vermont Secondary College. Best speaker: Charlotte Lorbeck.
MLMC 2 (Amy Wahrenberger, Chelsea Emary, Emma Di Paulo) defeated Yarra Valley Grammar School. Best speaker: Chelsea Emary.
Round 3 (6 June): That we should introduce a congestion charge on motor vehicles entering the Melbourne CBD. Both teams represented the affirmative.
MLMC 1 (Ebony Damen, Cheyenne Moore, Ethan Prentice) defeated Vermont Secondary College 2. Best speaker: Ebony Damen.
MLMC 2 (Sylvie Dyson-Taylor, Victoria Prasel, Millie Barker) defeated Yarra Valley Grammar School. Best speaker: Millie Barker.
The next round of debates takes place after the holidays, on Wednesday 25 July. The C Graders will have a secret topic and D Grade will debate the proposition That employers should adopt a four-day working week.
The final round will be held on 25 August.
