DAV Debating

The final round of DAV Debating for the Berwick Region was held at St Margaret’s School on Thursday 19 July.

The Berwick Grammar A Grade team remains undefeated after the five rounds of the season, having overcome their peers at St Margaret’s, as well as rivals from Nossal and Gippsland Grammar. The boys involved will be going through to a six-night finals series to be held throughout August and October of this year.

Students through other grades have enjoyed many successes throughout the DAV season, and they have benefited from the learning experience where they were not as successful.

As I reflect on this year’s program, there was much to celebrate.

The boys have worked very hard and dedicated a lot of their own personal time in preparing for debates and for this, they should all be commended.

The Team Captains have worked tirelessly to support their teams, manage conflicts and encourage good teamwork. This, in turn, has led to strong development of debating culture within our school.

The highlight of the season for me has been watching the strong social bonds develop between the students, as they have increasingly become a part of their community. It was touching to see the older boys taking time to mentor and support their younger peers as they learnt to cope with the demands of such a challenging academic activity.

The debating experience has undoubtedly helped the boys develop their communication skills, enhanced their capacity for collaboration and self-regulation of their learning, and exercised critical and creative thinking as they negotiated content heavy debate topics.

Through this experience, the boys have shown an understanding of our school values, and illustrated what they look like in practice to the wider community.

Mr Sean Pieper
My-Summit Co-Cultural Coordinator