On Thursday, 9 March, 24 students from Years 7 to 10 participated in the Margaret River round of the 2023 Evatt Trophy debating competition. Evatt Trophy it is a prestigious debating competition that simulates the proceedings of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
This year’s competition was extra special as it was the first time Year 7 students participated, joining the Year 8 to 10 students. It was amazing to see how the younger students rose to the occasion, showing great enthusiasm and skill in the art of debating.
The day began with a workshop on how to do formal debating. The students were introduced to new vocabulary such as yielding, veto, resolution, Point of Interest (PoI), speaker’s list, and other debating terminologies. The workshop was designed to give the students a thorough understanding of the formal debating process and techniques to make effective arguments.
The students then put their newly acquired skills to the test by debating The Question of Refugee Protections. It was impressive to see the students present insightful and thought-provoking arguments on both sides of the issue. They cited evidence and responded well to counter-arguments from the perspective of their allocated UNSC perspective, displaying great debating skills.
After lunch, the debaters needed to respond to The Question of Global Food Security. Once again, they showed excellent debating skills as they presented persuasive arguments and challenged each other’s ideas.
The participants demonstrated outstanding engagement, skill and commitment and proudly represented the school in this competition. The students from Margaret River have learned valuable skills that will serve them well in their future academic and professional careers.
I would like to congratulate all of the participants and thank the United Nations Youth presenters who have made this competition possible. I look forward to seeing our students continue to thrive in future debating competitions.
Patrick Marzohl
