Congratulations to Lucia Ehrler (Y11), Sian Liddle (Y10), and Layla Clarke (Y9) for their outstanding performance representing our college in the Bay of Plenty regional debating competition on Sunday 17 March!

The 2024 tournament was the largest ever, with 44 teams competing from thirteen Bay of Plenty High Schools.

In the prepared section, with the topic announced five days earlier, the adjudicator was thoroughly impressed by the team’s structure and use of examples, securing a clear victory against the Tauranga Boys’ College junior team.

Moving on to the impromptu rounds, where quick thinking is key, our team faced off against a senior Rotorua Boys’ High School team. Despite the challenge, they demonstrated remarkable agility and critical thinking, narrowly losing the first round but bouncing back strong in the next to secure a well-deserved win against the more experienced opponents.

Furthermore, Layla Clarke has recently been selected as one of only six speakers chosen for the Bay Of Plenty Development Squad. This is an amazing achievement seeing as she is only Year 9. The New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council will provide coaching and feedback throughout terms three and four to hone the skills of these students who showed great promise at Regionals. 

Thank you to one of our parents, Fleur Clarke, who did a fantastic job of coaching our young debating team, she worked with these girls throughout the six weeks leading up to the competition, and their hard work paid off.