Summerhill School SA makes impressive debut, reaches finals of Midrand Local League debate
This year marks a historic milestone for Summerhill School SA, as they participate for the first time in a competitive National Debating League.
This year is significant for Summerhill School SA, as it marks their first entry into a competitive debate league.
As complete newcomers, they reached the finals of the Midrand local league, which is part of the larger National Debating League, generating excitement throughout the entire school community.
Despite a challenging journey, the team learned that adversity can be a privilege. Noel Dube, a teacher at the school, explained that this was their first experience with ‘adversity as they navigated the unknown’.
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“We had never participated in a league-style debate,” Dube said. “At that point, all we knew was how to rebut and make points, but this experience taught us valuable lessons and made us a more coherent and effective team.”
Summerhill learners who participated throughout the league include Lea Harrypersadh, Dhonya Seshamsetti, Gift Maseko, Siphokazi Kubheka, Uwais Seedat, Mongezi Mngoma, Vukosi Matsimbi, Nomhle Nkomo, Tanatswa Saidi, Azaria Govender, and Zakkai Govender.
The league tournament consisted of three rounds. The first round, which took place on March 10 at the Nizamiye Schools, was on the topic ‘We should ban anonymity on social media platforms’. Summerhill lost to Nizamiye but won against Christ Church.
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The second round was held at Beaulieu College on March 24, debating the topic, ‘We should pay stem cell donors’. Summerhill lost to Crawford Lonehill but won against Nizamiye.
“There was at least a whole month between round one and round two. We only learned about our opponents a week after round one. We wanted to make a statement that we were here to be a dominant force – a force that keeps learning and improving.”
As they prepared for the final round on May 12, Summerhill focused on developing their strategy and spent hours honing their skills as a team during the April holidays.
“The results paid off, but we still faced challenges,” Dube said. “Thankfully, we secured a victory this time, winning by a narrow margin of one point. We were masters of our fate and also received the Best Speakers Award.”
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Dube said their final debate was unusual because they were unfamiliar with their opponents, who had a strange interpretation of the topic.
“I was aware this could happen – one team might interpret the topic very differently. It caught us off guard and rattled our team, but we maintained our composure and explained why their interpretation was incorrect. Although it was tense at times, we ultimately won decisively.”
In the final round, Summerhill won both debates against Holy Family and Newton House. “Adversity is a privilege. Without these trials, we would not have come this far or been taken seriously as a threat. Otherwise, we would merely be perceived as a team whose greatest weakness was ourselves.”
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