“Power to the voice is Power to the People.”
St Xavier's High School has organized an Inter-House English Debate Competition on Thursday, May 11, 2023 for the students of Grades VI -VIII. The aim of organizing debate competition was to hone the public speaking skills of the students and teach them to be articulate while expressing their thoughts and opinions. The session was the kaleidoscope of opinions, thoughts and perspective that enhanced the knowledge and understanding about the topic – “Technological Advancement poses a greater threat than population growth does to the health of our planet.” The topic was unveiled with the teams a day prior to the commencement of the competition.
It was set up in the British parliamentary style comprising of four teams from all the houses with four speakers- the Principal, first, second and reflective speaker from each team. Two teams proposed the motion and other two teams opposed the motion.
With so much intensity in the air, the competition began with a three-panel jury. The viewpoints of the participants captivated the audience with cheers and claps. The team members deliberated on the motion, contested each other’s points of view, and finally presented some astute points from all sides of the spectrum. The pinnacle of the competition was the rebuttal from opposing and proposing teams with brain storming questions and prompt answers in highly assertive manner. Four Reflective speakers who put forth their points eloquently in a strong convincing expression finally summed up the debate.
The adjudicators expressed highly appreciative inputs and offered a valuable feedback for all the participants with a special mention on clarity of mind-set and thoughts. At last the motion was carried.
• St. Nicholas House bagged the First Position
• St. Raphael House secured the Runner–up Position
• Sayra Sardana was declared as the Best Speaker
• Runner up Speaker was awarded to Vritti Kumaria
• Best Reflective Speaker was awarded to Sanjam Gujral
The day was impactful and left not just the students but also the teachers with much to think about. It was hailed a success and has set the bar high for the students in the upcoming events.