Inside King's-Edgehill School
On the first Saturday of the March Break, Junior School students William Larder (Grade 7), Vincent Armstrong (Grade 8), Sadie Junger (Grade 9) and Danica Scully (Grade 9) weren’t sleeping in; instead, they were up early and competing virtually at the NSDS Junior Provincial Debates. This wonderful four-round event tackled such relevant education topics as: “This House would offer post-pandemic online education in schools” and “This House would switch from a numerical grading system to a pass/fail system.” Global health topics were investigated too, as well as the crowd-pleasing “Assuming the feasibility, this House would bring back the dinosaurs”!
Congratulations are extended to Vincent and William who placed 4th overall as a team, with Will securing 4th place as a speaker. Hats off to Sadie and Danica who placed 1st overall as a team. Included is a photo of Danica and Sadie winning the virtual Grand Final against Sacred Heart School in an impressive 3-0 judges’ decision. Danica also takes home the highest honour as the top speaker in the Province. Danica topped the tab with a 5-point lead and is now possibly one of the only speakers in Nova Scotia to win Junior Provincials as top speaker for 3 consecutive years!
While Vinnie and Danica are veteran debaters (five and four years, respectively), this is Will’s second year and only Sadie’s first year of being part of the KES Debating programme. It is great to see the more experienced speakers offering recommendations and support to their partners. When Sadie was asked what she liked about debating, she said, “It has taught me how to structure an argument so it is more effective. Debating is fun and provides an opportunity to defend an idea in a competitive but not a high-stakes environment.” She encourages others to give it a try. Will recognized that he has improved his debating skills and feels confident thinking on his feet and seeing issues from different sides. He acknowledges that debating skills are life skills as “they improve your decision making, both practically and morally, and allow you to see both sides of an argument, improving communication with others by stepping into their shoes.”
Our Junior Debaters can be very proud of their successes. We certainly are proud of them!
