Debating and Public Speaking

Debating has been an integral part of our time here at Mazenod, with 2022 being no exception. After two years of online tournaments, Mazenod has maintained a steady and stoic presence in the face of many new changes.

Continuing an ongoing tradition, the almighty Year 12 team advanced to the final of the Debating Association of Victora’s Schools Competition, competing against top tier schools in Victoria. A true testament to the success, Year 12 debater Nathanial Louey was awarded the ‘Swannie Award’, recognising him as one of the State’s top speakers.

Mazenod’s success continued throughout the year levels with the Year 10 team taking home another ACC championship, with two Year 10 debaters, Aditya Krishna Moorthy and Avinda Wickramaratne competing in the Plain English Speaking Award, being some of the youngest in the competition, they truly left their mark.

Similarly, we saw a new level of passion and dedication expressed throughout the year levels with Year 9 students joining the Year 10 students at the Model United Nations. In addition to this the Year 11 debaters displaying true mateship and teamwork throughout their hard work, joining the Year 9 students in Mazenod’s debut at the EVATT Cup. The teams represented us well and we look forward to this continuing in years to come.

Success continued in the junior levels with both Year 7 and 8 debaters getting a taste for Junior Secondary Program debating late this year at Brentwood, a great start on a long debating journey. Additionally, Year 7 student Abel Joshy progressed through to public speaking finals after an impressive performance in the Glen Waverley region.

Moreover, the Year 12 Mazenod team fiercely debated Avila at their school as part of a return of an annual tradition between both schools. The topic of debate, ‘That Avila and Mazenod should combine to become a co-ed school’ allowed for insightful, yet comedic rebuttals.

It has been an incredible year under the leadership of Mx Maggie Georgopolos, our Debating Coordinator. As we end our time at Mazenod we would like to say a big thank you to the incredible staff who have supported Mazenod’s debating program. In particular we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Mrs Joanne Caird for your years of dedication and sacrifice to the entire Mazenod Debating community. We would also like to thank Mateo Acosta-Fernandez, Mr James Convery, Ms Tina Giacco and Ms Jacinta Girolami for their support and assistance throughout the year.

As we conclude, a huge congratulations and thank you to everyone for your dedication throughout this year. It has been a true pleasure to be your debating captains for 2022. Gajindu Rajapakshe and Gavin Pan (Debating Co-Captians), Thisal Pasqual (Debating Vice Captain)