McKinnon Secondary College
On Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 of July, during the school holidays, members of the Year 9 McKinnon Secondary College Debating Team had the exciting opportunity to attend the annual Winter Debating Workshop, hosted by the Debaters Association of Victoria at City Cite on Flinders Street.
Throughout the two days, we mingled with some of the state’s most accomplished debaters, including students from leading independent schools such as Scotch College, Carey Grammar, and the selective-entry Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School. It was an inspiring environment that enabled us to test our skills against strong competition while also learning from experienced adjudicators and speakers.
Each day was structured around four key sessions:
A topic seminar
A secret topic debate
Lunch break
A debate skills seminar
Followed by a second secret topic debate.
This intense schedule gave us the chance to sharpen our debating abilities, especially in the form of impromptu speaking as well as gaining valuable insights ahead of our upcoming State play-offs.
As a proud member of the McKinnon Debating Team, I can confidently say the camp was an enriching and motivating experience. We not only improved our debating techniques but also built connections with the wider debating community.
A huge thank you to Miss Zappner and Miss Ozcagli for making this opportunity possible and for their continued support of our team.
Arnav, Year 9 Student
