Enthusiasm and participation in the 2024 Debating and Public Speaking Program has continued to build, with an extra debating team added to St Catherine’s line up this year. Students in Years 7 to 12 have a range of opportunities for both team and individual participation.   

Debating, one of the most dynamic forms of public speaking, is offered within the House Program, but also as a very popular Interschool Program run by the Debaters Association of Victoria (DAV). The Senior DAV Interschool Debating Program enables 11 teams of Years 9 to 12 girls to debate both prepared and secret topics against teams from other schools in the region.   

Coached by past students, the Senior Teams approach training sessions, and debates collaboratively to prepare and present their speeches. So far, we have completed two of the five rounds in the Senior DAV Program held at Scotch College. As always, the buzz in the Scotch College Quadrangle is palpable before and after the debates.   

Planning is underway for the DAV Junior Secondary Debating Program which caters for Years 7 and 8 students and will take place in Terms 3 and 4. The Junior Teams are supported by Year 11 mentors who help them prepare for their debates against other regional schools.    

A particular highlight for our Years 9 and 10 debaters is the opportunity to compete in the DAV Women’s Debate. The Women’s Competition is a debating tournament held exclusively for women, with the aim of supporting and encouraging female-identifying students. Despite the consistent popularity of the St Catherine’s Debating Program, it is important for our students to understand that historically women have been underrepresented in Debating and as such we offer this opportunity for them to further develop their skills in a friendly environment outside of the main Schools Competition. This year, Year 10 student Isabella Teoh participated in the winning team, debating a range of topics throughout the day.    

Two Senior Debating Teams will also participate in the Deakin University Law Debates on 30 June where they will debate three set topics relating to legal issues. Year 10 debaters are looking forward to mentoring the Year 6 students in their Debating Program. This peer coaching program is incredibly rewarding for the Barbreck students and the Year 10s alike.    

Mooting Program   

A unique component of the Debating and Public Speaking Program is the Bond University National High School Mooting Competition. The online competition provides students with the opportunity to develop and apply legal arguments in response to a hypothetical case on appeal to the High Court. They then present the arguments in a simulated court proceeding before a panel of judges. This requires great dedication, as the students must firstly interpret previous High Court judgements and relevant legislation before applying them to the party they are representing.  

This year, a team of three Year 12 students entered the competition, showcasing their collaboration, legal knowledge, and critical thinking skills. The preparation for the moot commenced in early March with Sophia Holdenson, Scarlet Westaway and Charlotte Upton acting as (respectively) the Senior and Junior Counsel and Solicitor for the respondents in the moot. Scarlet and Sophia are experienced mooters as they represented St Catherine’s in the Competition last year and Charlotte has taken up the opportunity to join as a current Legal Studies student.   

The Team has been very fortunate to benefit from the expertise of Head of Humanities, Mr Paul Gilby, and weekly coaching sessions by experienced mooter and past student, Miss Jennifer Madgwick (‘20). Jennifer’s mentoring assisted the students with case study analysis and relevant legal material to develop oral submissions. On 14 May, the Team presented to the panel of judges, receiving positive feedback on their legal arguments and oral advocacy skills. The Team will receive the results at a later date, but Scarlet, Sophia and Charlotte are congratulated on their intellectual agility, particularly when responding to some challenging questions from the Judges.    

Public Speaking Program  

St Catherine’s Public Speaking Program continues to thrive with students participating in several Interschool Public Speaking Competitions. In addition to her success in the DAV Women’s Debate, Isabella Teoh was one of the top three speakers in a field of over 60 speakers from several schools in the DAV Intermediate Public Speaking Competition, held at St Kevin’s College in April.   

As an acknowledgement of this accomplishment, Isabella has been invited to receive a medal at the prestigious Swannie Awards later this year. Isabella, along with fellow competitors, Harper Roberts, Victoria Guan, Lissette Shu, and Alekhya Akella ably executed prepared and impromptu speeches.

This weekend will also see an excited group of Year 8 students participate in the Junior DAV Public Speaking Competition. Amber Lim, Parnian Hosseini, Holly Farrer, Emmanuella Christov, and Sze Ching (Emma) Ma have been eagerly preparing their persuasive speeches and rehearsing for their impromptu topics. 

Isabella Teoh pictured with fellow Year 10 Intermediate Division participant, and keen public speaker Harper Roberts (seated)

Emmanuella Christov and Sze Ching (Emma) Ma – rehearsing for the Junior DAV Public Speaking event.

On Tuesday 14 May, three students participated in the Rotary Ainger Public Speaking Competition run by the Richmond Rotary Club. Nguyen Thu (Anna) Nguyen Diep, Jisu Yang and Weng In (Caris) Ho were excellent ambassadors for St Catherine’s and delivered their speeches with confidence and flair.   

All debaters and public speakers have been excellent ambassadors for our School. They are to be congratulated for their dedication, enthusiasm, and expertise this semester. Gratitude is also extended to the staff who have supported the Program, including Miss Rebecca Reggars, Mrs Anna McKenzie and Mr Paul Gilby.