DEBATING

from The Qatar Shirburnian 2020 - 2021

COMMEM

SHERBORNE QATAR CROWNED NATIONAL DEBATING CHAMPION 2021

The Sherborne Qatar Debating Society is pleased to announce that our Senior Girls’ Team was crowned Debating National Champions 2021. The debate was streamed online and broadcasted on different social media platforms. Huge congratulations to Year 12 pupils Shahd Al-Hajri and Turkia Al Thani and Year 13 pupil Janine Obiri for their outstanding performances at the National event. Shahd was awarded 4th Best Speaker of the league and Turkia 2nd place. Turkia was also awarded best speaker at the Open Grand Final.

As for the boys, they sadly lost their debate at the quarter final stage but were all exceptional. Congratulations and huge well done to our Year 13 pupils Samer Bugla, Nadir Salimzade, Jai Martin and Adithya Sankar Jaganathan. We are very proud of you all.

Well done to Year 9 pupils Henry Kakkad, Mohamed Abdelrahman and Khalid Al Marri who successfully participated in the Qatar Schools Debate League for the Junior section this year. I look forward to supporting them further as they enter the senior section next year.

Public Debate

Another highlight of this year’s debating season was the participation of one of our pupils in the Public Debate organised by QatarDebate and in collaboration with the National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons (NCPW). The event was held online between Team Qatar and the top ranked team from the recent Qatar Schools Debate League. The debate was followed with a Q&A session and the episode culminated with the announcement of the winner and best speaker of the debate. This was a wonderful opportunity to witness the talents and skills of Turkia Al Thani, one of our Sherborne Qatar Senior school debaters (member of the National Qatar Debating Team) as the participants discussed a topic of national interest and relevance. Huge congratulations to Team Qatar who won the debate!

“Winning the national championship was proof that all the hard work we put in paid off. The years of training with support from Miss Khayari and the Qatar Debate international coaches cemented our path to becoming national champions. I am truly grateful. ´´ Shahd Al-Hajri (Year 12)

“Spending time on debating helped me understand that teamwork is one of the most important factors needed to achieve the best results. Without teamwork and communication while debating, it is almost impossible for victory to be ensured, and that I will never forget.” Nadir Salimzade (Year 13)

“I have been part of the Sherborne Qatar Debating Society since year 7; throughout the years I have participated in numerous national tournaments organised by Qatar Debate along with many international tournaments. I am currently and have been a member of the Qatar National Debate Team for 5 years. Debating is such an invaluable experience; the teamwork, the long training sessions, and tournaments - in the moment it did seem overwhelming however those challenges taught me to push myself and to persevere.” Turkia Al Thani (Year 12)

‘Doing debating throughout senior school was quite the journey. With all the Qatar Schools Debate League (QSDL) tournaments I have attended since Year 8, I can proudly say that the experiences have helped me cultivate my argumentative skills amongst others. Being able to make it as far as the National stage this year is proof of this growth and fills me with pride. I hope to continue pursuing debating at university to further develop these skills that I have learnt. To all younger pupils wondering if you should take up debating, all I can say is you will enjoy the competitions you attend and experiences you will gain if you choose to do so.’ Adithya Jaganathan (Year 13)

At the start of the year, I was asked to fill in for one of my peers for the first Qatar School Debating League competition of the academic year, and I must say it was one of my fondest memories this year. Despite being restricted to an online competition from our homes, myself and my teammates worked extremely hard together, and I feel it only brought me closer with other pupils who I already considered to be close friends. It showed me how effective communication, hard work and teamwork can bear great results. Jai Martin (Year 13)

Ms. Khayari would like to congratulate them all for their hard work and commitment throughout the years. Their dedication on numerous long Saturdays, Thursdays after school and half terms has paid off and the girls are now National Champions.