Interschool programs and the House Debating Heats and Finals have kept our debaters and public speakers very busy throughout Term 3. Some highlights are listed below. Year 10 student Isha Paithankar also shares her experiences as a new student to the program this year.   

Senior DAV Program 

The fifth and final round of  Interschool Senior DAV Debating (Years 9 to 12) took place on Wednesday 3 August.   

In total, St Cath’s had 26 wins out of 34 debates, with a total of 23 Best Speakers. As the only undefeated team in the Hawthorn Region, the A Grade Team progressed to the Octo-Finals last week. Winning their debate on the Secret Topic ‘That referendums should not require a double majority to pass,’ they now proceed to the Quarter Finals on 5 October. This is an incredible achievement.   

The following students are congratulated on being awarded Best Speaker in their debates in Rounds 4 and 5.   

Year 12 – A Grade 

• Flora Du   

Year 11- B Grade 

• Sienna Lonetti 
• Rhea Werner 
• Maeli Davenport   

Year 10 – C Grade 

• Isha Paithankar 
• Vinuki Thiseka (Vinuki) Ranatunga 
• Melanie Young    

Year 9 – D Grade: 

• Alexandra Mirabella   

Junior DAV Secondary Debating Program 

Thirty enthusiastic Years 7 and 8 students joined the JSP Program held at Loreto College and enjoyed the opportunity to attend debate training sessions, as well as honing their skills in debates against students from neighbouring schools. The students particularly enjoyed being mentored by the Year 11 debaters as part of their leadership program. St Catherine’s had six wins of a total 12 debates, with five students being named Best Speakers:  

Year 7 

• Holly Farrer 
• Amber Lim 

Year 8 

• Adele Wu 
• Victoria Guan 
• Elora Chan   

British Parliamentary Debating Competition

Year 12 students Flora Du and Leanne Hiew

British Parliamentary Debating is a very dynamic form of debating, with four teams of two speakers debating a motion.  

Two teams debate in the affirmative role as the Government and two debate in the negative role as the Opposition. Teams on the same side of the topic (Government or Opposition) must remain consistent with each other but are still competing against one another. At the conclusion of the debate, the adjudicator ranks teams in the debate from first to fourth.  

Year 10 students Isha Paithankar and Sharon Laurens competed in the DAV Intermediate British Parliamentary Debating Division and Year 12 students Flora Du and Leanne Hiew competed in the Senior Division. Flora and Leanne topped the ladder at the end of the Tournament, winning each of their three debates. After this incredible success in such a challenging format, they now proceed directly to the Grand Final to be held on 15 October.  

House Debating

The House Debating Heats and Finals were enthusiastically supported with the trademark St Cath’s House spirit.  

Congratulations to all debaters who participated in the House Debating Heats and Finals.  

Thank you also to the staff adjudicators for making this event possible. 

House Debating Finals Results 

• 1st place Davis 
• 2nd place Holmes Kilbride 
• 3rd place Langley Templeton 
• 4th place Beaulieu Blair

Best Speakers in the Heats: 

Year 7 – Holly Farrer, Chloe Mirams 

Year 8 – Melinda Wang, Elise Pham 

Year 9 – Diya Asthana, Isabella Wang 

Year 10 – Ashleigh Jakobovits, Karis Chan 

Year 11 – Alice Molnar, Maeli Davenport 

Year 12 – Mia Krongold, Flora Du   

Best Speakers in the Finals: 

Year 7 – Holly Farrer 

Year 8 – Elise Pham 

Year 9 – Kari Prendergast 

Year 10 – Celina Wang 

Year 11 – Olivia Hargrave 

Year 12 – Flora Du   

Public Speaking Competitions

The Speech and Drama Teachers’ Association of Victoria has introduced a Solo Public Speaking Competition for the first time this year. St Catherine’s competed in two separate locations.

Sunday 26 July – Boroondara Festival  

Senior Division: 

Nguyen Thu (Anna) Nguyen Diep (equal 3rd place) 

Jisu Yang (equal 3rd place)   

Intermediate Division: 

Phoebe Butterfield 

Elora Chan 

Lissette Shu (Highly Commended) 

Melinda Wang   

Sunday August 27 – Loreto Mandeville Hall   

Senior Division: 

Ava Colosimo, Year 12 (4th Place – Honourable Mention) 

Flora Du, Year 12 (3rd Place) 

Scarlett Song, Year 12   

Intermediate Division: 

Victoria Guan, Year 8  

Next term we look forward to the House Public Speaking Competition which will cap off a great year for the Debating and Public Speaking Program at St Catherine’s. 

Debating Reflection – Isha Paithankar

As a new student at St Catherine’s School, I was really interested in joining the Year 10 Debating and Public Speaking Program. In March, I started my Debating journey with the chance to participate in the DAV Women’s Competition. This was an enriching opportunity, as we were randomly grouped into teams of three girls from Years 9 to 12, across different schools. Our teams then participated in a series of three debates with secret topics and 45 minutes of preparation time. By the end of this Competition, I had made new friends and revitalised my debating skills in preparation for Year 10 DAV Debating.    

Senior DAV Debating, spanning from March until August, consisted of a series of five interschool debates (with a mix of prepared and secret topics,) at Scotch College, held fortnightly. Among the Year 10s, three teams of speakers were formed. Engaging in debates alongside friends while competing against other schools was an exciting experience. The secret topics, especially, gave me a chance to improve my impromptu debating skills, as we only had an hour to prepare for our debate with a four-to-six-minute speaking time.    

Finally, I recently participated in The British Parliamentary Competition. This Competition gave me a new opportunity to learn a different style of debating – one that was more challenging and interactive, as we could interrupt the debate and ask questions. The Competition spanned for an entire day, featuring a series of fun debates against nine other teams consisting of two people.     

Overall, reflecting on my Debating journey this year, I am grateful for the skills I have acquired from these competitions, especially in terms of building my confidence and oratory skills. Debating has been a wonderful experience marked by memorable moments, and I look forward to carrying this commitment into Year 11.