Blog: The Joy of Debating Camp
Despite a weekend of wild winds and driving rain, Debating Captains, China and Lulu returned to Wenona full of the joys of Debating camp.
Two weekends ago, amid Sydney’s wild weather, we had the pleasure of participating in Wenona’s annual Debating camp. Along with 50 other keen debaters, we headed to the Collaroy Centre, which also happened to be one of the rainiest parts of Sydney! It was an opportunity for girls to hone their debating skills by taking part in workshops, as well as watching the Year 11 versus 12 debate. There were also ample opportunities to make connections across year groups, particularly at the fun games and movie night.
We are happy to report that the workshops were highly beneficial, offering us all an opportunity to learn from experienced coaches on how to improve both our manner and subject matter over the coming year. Even for the girls who aren’t taking part in the main Debating competitions this year, the critical thinking and oratory skills will be incredibly useful for both activities in School and in life more broadly.
Aside from the workshops, the camp’s infamous ‘Killing Game and Games Night’ was a great opportunity to make friends with girls of all ages. This year’s theme was ‘Decades’, so we had a great time enjoying music from different eras. And it was great to see the effort we all put into our costumes.
The camp concluded with the traditional Year 11 versus 12 debate, contesting the very topical issue of ‘Should we use Christmas Island as a quarantine centre for individuals believed or suspected to have contracted the coronavirus’. This debate is a cornerstone of Debating Camp. And given we’ve both attended Debating camp since Year 7, it felt bittersweet to be taking part in our final debate.
Not letting the weather dampen our time, we really enjoyed our final Debating camp and would like to thank all the teachers and girls who attended for embracing the opportunities over the weekend.
In particular, we’d like to thank Ms Karsten for her incredible hard work behind the scenes. On behalf of all Wenona debaters, we’d like to express how appreciative we are of the effort you put into Debating – something we are equally passionate about.
Also, a reminder that the ISDA season begins on Friday 21 February, with a debate here at Wenona against Roseville. We wish all our debaters luck for their first debate of 2020. And anyone who wants to stay back to support our talented girls, we’d love to see you there!
Thank you!
China and Lulu
Debating Captains 2019/2020