ENGLISH

Dollar Debating 2008 - 2009

It has been a year of lively debating success.  At all levels, both within the School and in Inter-School competitions, our pupils have honed new skills and enjoyed the opportunity to test themselves at the lectern.  Over 36 teams entered the school debating competition back in October, and since then Wednesday lunchtime debates have drawn packed audiences as speakers from Forms I – VI have demonstrated wit and strategic understanding on subjects as diverse as whether women should wear lipstick and whether there should be an evening curfew on teenagers.  The keenly anticipated grand final will be held in the library in June.

An impressive thirteen teams have also represented the school in competitions across Scotland, including a day of debating for four junior teams at Glenalmond in February, short prep University debates and prestigious national debates involving travelling as far afield as Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh and St Andrews.  Newcomers to debating, Elspeth Drysdale and Alex Mackinnon (FI) were finalists in the Glenalmond Cup and were commended particularly for their analysis and confident presentation.  Lauren Hill and Jennifer Duncan (FII) reached the semi-finals of the Courier/ CIOBS competition, while in the same competition two other Dollar teams of Anna George and Alix Brewster (FII) and Ruth Cameron and Calum Worsley (FIII) were respectively runners-up and winners. In the splendour of Lower Parliament Hall, St Andrews the four Dollar speakers had to propose the motion “This house believes soldiers should be allowed to opt out of conflict on moral grounds”.  It was a fine achievement for all our speakers, who showed themselves to be very much in control of both the motion and the table.  Ruth and Calum are currently looking forward to an all expenses paid trip to the USA, as well as waiting to hear whether they will be invited to attend the Scottish National Debating Team trials next year.  Along with Robert Henson (FI) and Andrew Taylor (FIII), Ruth and Calum also reached the Regional final of the ESU competition at the same time that two new partnerships of Jess Smart (FIV) and Carol Roberts (FV), and Gavin Woolman (FIV) and Alison Horne (FVI), won through to the Law Society Regional Final.  Aberdeen University was the autumnal venue for Catriona Basquill’s welcome return to the short prep scene, as well as for newcomers to senior debating, Lizzie Walker and Joanne Cubitt.

Just as lively, but a lot less tense, was the Annual Debating Supper, held at Corrieri’s restaurant in Stirling at the end of last term. Over twenty debaters who have represented the school this year, together with the four coaches who have spent so many hours chasing the irrefutable, met for a memorable evening of relaxed debating chat and general hilarity.

But irrespective of competition success, the legacy of session 2008-9 4 will be the increasingly large number of pupils throughout the School who take for granted the requirement to be informed, articulate, entertaining and deadly.  The excitement for next session is already building.

Mrs Kate Murray

May 2009

Photographs reproduced by kind permission of The Courier newspaper