Gundagai Public School (GPS) Year 6 student Amelia Kerr was selected to be part of the Riverina debating team to compete in the NSW State Championships held last week in Sydney.
Over a number of days Amelia and her team mates from Turvey Park, Lake Cargelligo and Deniliquin competed against 50 of the best primary school debaters from across NSW.
Amelia’s dad, Andrew, took her to the championships in Sydney and said it was a great experience for the team.
“They had some world class debaters as adjudicators who would give feedback and just really encourage the students,” Andrew said.
“Amelia got to meet students from places across the state with different backgrounds and understandings, but they all came together and became good friends quite quickly. The differences in cultures and locations also really came across in the debates too which was really interesting.”
“Amelia was selected at the regionals with three other girls from the Riverina region and then these girls became the Riverina team,” Andrew said.
The State Championships were held over three days in Sydney and showcased the top 50 students in primary schools across NSW for debating, with the debates covering a range of topics.
“The Riverina team won 2 out of 5 debates. At one point they were up against Sydney, who went on to actually win the competition, and the state adjudicating champion said that this debate in particular was the second-best debate he had seen all year from students,” Andrew said.
Sally Wheaton, Gundagai Public School Assistant Principal and Debating Coach said Amelia’s selection on the team was due to her outstanding writing and public speaking skills.
“Amelia has been involved in debating at a school level for the past two years. She is an amazing writer, confident public speaker and has outstanding teamwork skills. She has continued to build those skills, and it is wonderful to see her succeeding at such a high representative level.”
“Every year GPS participates in the Premier’s Debating Challenge. This year we were able to enter two teams, which reflects the depth of student talent. Here, Amelia’s team made it all the way to the Riverina quarter finals this year.”
“Debating is a very challenging but rewarding experience. The students do not know what the topic is, or whether they will be affirmative or negative until immediately before the debate. They have one hour to prep for the debate, with zero assistance from teachers, books or echnology,” Sally said.
“The trickiest skill to learn is how to rebut – argue against what the other team has stated. Amelia has excelled at thinking on her feet, and time and time again she logically and convincingly refutes what her opposition has said.”
“Amelia had the role of third speaker all this year while competing for GPS. This is the most high-pressure role in a debating team. This is the position she also spoke at frequently at the State Championships, which is a reflection of her ability,” Sally said.
Amelia’s dad said Gundagai Public School has been invaluable with their support and encouragement of the debating.
“Amelia really only started debating a couple of years ago here in Gundagai, and the school has been absolutely fantastic. Sally Wheaton has been incredible behind the scenes with getting the teams going from here to debate other teams in the region.
The school has been really supportive and without the support of the school, this wouldn’t have happened,” Andrew said.
“Amelia initially gained debating experience through school and then the encouragement and coaching received through the school meant that she could go on to the next levels. So, she had the regional finals in Henty recently, which was a really good experience as well. They had people from NSW debating helping out on that giving tips and advice,” Andrew said.
The NSW State Debating Championships are held between each region in NSW, to battle it out to see which region comes out on top. Each region in NSW holds debating trials in Term 3 to pick a squad of their best debaters, and then this squad goes on to represent the region in the State Championships.
-Emily Flint