School Matters 36

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DEBATING REPORT We congratulate all our IPS Debaters and Public Speakers who have entered several competitions over recent months and emerged with a string of resounding successes. Dr Matt Hazell, Teacher of Rhetoric and Debating provides the round up.

BIG WIN IN ESU CHURCHILL PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION

A trio of intrepid PVI Public Speakers competed in the London Regional Finals of the largest and most prestigious school public speaking competition in the UK held in the beautiful surroundings of Dartmouth House, the ESU’s impressive Mayfair headquarters. Olivia Arbour, Yeva Kebabdjian and Charlie Tebbutt had progressed through two

Igor, Yeva, Calum, Olivia and Matthew

SHHS SPRING PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION

Yeva, Charlie and Olivia

online preliminary rounds to get to this stage. They now faced seven London teams including Harrow, Notting Hill & Ealing, South Hampstead High. All teams had won two preliminary rounds to get here so standards were incredibly high. Yeva Kebabdjian spoke eloquently on Rudyard Kipling’s “Words are the powerful drug used by mankind”. Her soaring rhetoric dazzled the judges, arguing persuasively that the power of words to heal or harm far exceeded that of any pharmacological agent. Chair Charlie Tebbutt deftly handled proceedings with wit, charm and well-timed jokes. Questioner Olivia Arbour was highly commended for bringing out the best in the opposing speaker. After an agonisingly long wait, the judges returned. All teams were praised but there could only be one victor: IPS! Many congratulations and all the best for the National Finals!

In only the second in-person Debating trip since the pandemic, four pupils travelled to South Hampstead High School for its annual Spring Public Speaking Competition. Pupils had to deliver a prepared speech on a topic of their choosing, as well as introduce and question another speaker from a different school. Strong performances were recorded by Igor Elmanov, S10 and PVIs Olivia Arbour, Calum Brackenridge and Yeva Kebabdjian.

A field of nearly 60 competitors was narrowed down through two preliminary rounds to a grand final. Matthew Michelmore, LVI rightfully earned his place amongst the five finalists after winning both rounds. In front of a packed auditorium, he spoke eloquently and introspectively on the topic of “What is Religion’s place in the modern world”, narrowly losing to the eventual victor. INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR YOUNG DEBATERS (ICYD)

Day, S9 ranked as the best overall team, while S10s Honor Lynn and Raya Grayde were hot on their heels in second. All four pupils will represent IPS at Oxford in the International Finals! IPS similarly swept the individual rankings: Igor was named Best Speaker, Imogen was second and Honor and Raya tied for third place. The remaining contingent did exceptionally well, narrowly missing out on qualification despite competing against others older than themselves. But, with youth on their side, we are confident that Hilary Hanslin, S8 and S9s Zara Quazi, Jasper Jenkin and Gabriele Menini will avenge their loss next year.

ICYD is a global debating competition for pupils up to Year 10, run jointly by the debating societies of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Preliminary online heats happen around the world, with a select number of well-performing teams then progressing to the grand finals hosted, in-person this year, at the Oxford Union. IPS pupils were challenged with motions ranging from political philosophy to the ethics of hactivism. Entering the final round, all four IPS teams were still in the running for qualification for the International Finals. After another round of exciting and enthralling debates, two IPS teams made it through: Igor Elmanov, S10 and Imogen

Imogen Day