On Sunday 20 August, our 3 QAHS Grand Final Debating teams represented the Academy with aplomb. Unsurprisingly, the standard of the debates in the Grand Final was exceptionally high with the following challenging topics being debated by our students:
Intermediate B and Open B Division
It is better to make things fair for everyone (equity) than to make things the same for everyone (equality).
Open A
Actions that cause significant harm to the environment should be a criminal offence.
Amazingly, our teams prepared sophisticated team cases in the limited preparation time allowed after receiving their allocated topics for the first time – Intermediate B students had to prepare their team's case in 1½ hours, while the Open A and B teams' preparation time was limited to 1 hour. The model that the Open A team created to frame their case in their Grand Final debate was impressive and demonstrated a depth of global and critical thinking well beyond their years.
Once again, we congratulate our QAHS Debating teams that qualified for the Grand Final:
Intermediate B QHS 8
Katelyn McSween, Liyu Yang, Jacqueline Xu, Audrey Yu, Isla Malthus
Open B QHS 2
Edwin Lau, Mani Randhawa, Vikram Bisen, Sourena Eslami, Theo Supeli
Open A QHS 8
Lily Cronly, Georgina Crowther, Dante Pellegrino, Isla Kelly, Sara Mohajer-Iravani
Although the QAHS Intermediate B and Open A Grand Finalists were narrowly defeated in exceptionally close debates against Marymount College and Somerset College respectively, we congratulate our Open B Debaters for emerging victorious in their Grand Final Debate against St. Hilda's School, an outstanding achievement given that this team of Year 12 students chose to participate in Debating for the first time in 2023! I hope that our Debating Grand Final runners-up return to represent QAHS in Debating again next year as their talents are much needed and highly valued.
Thank you to all of the parents and other members of the QAHS community who attended yesterday's Grand Final to support our students and I would also like to extend my thanks to each of the parents of the 116 QAHS students who chose to represent the Academy in Debating in 2023. Your provision of transport and support of our Debaters is very much appreciated as it provides the foundation necessary for our students' growth and development as debaters, as well as for their demonstrated successes.
Congratulations, 2023 Grand Finalists on your achievements in the Gold Coast Debating Competition this year! Although we farewell and extend our best wishes to the 26 Year 12 students who represented QAHS in Debating in 2023 - including our inaugural Debating Captains, Katya Gratchev and Anenya Kale, who worked together to provide invaluable support and guidance to our novice Intermediate B and Open B Debaters, early in the Debating season - I look forward to the continuing participation of our current Year 10 and 11 Debaters as they progress to Years 11 and 12 respectively, in 2024, and to welcoming our new Year 10 QAHS students to our substantial Debating cohort.
Karen Mackie
Debating Coordinator