Tthe best of NSW schools’ debaters have been arguing with each other for selection in the prestigious NSW Schools’ Debating Team 2008. The NSW Debating Union held trials culling 100 debaters down to 30. Remarkably four MLC girls were in this cut of 30. A spokesperson for the NSW Debating Union commented, “This year we had a record number of students electing to trial and the standard was exceptionally high.” Selection down to 12 saw MLC’s Joanna in Year 11 chosen for the NSW Training Squad and this meant weeks of intensive training and debating against and with the best in the state. Finally the four speakers were chosen, Joanna being the only girl. At the grand final of the National Schools Debating Championships held at NSW Parliament House in the Legislative Assembly, the NSW Team went on to defeat Victoria, the 2007 champions. Joanna, at only 16, was the only girl and only Year 11 student to speak for NSW during the week of debating and she is to be congratulated for her selection and participation at this extremely high level of competition.

MLC has had an outstanding record of debating success.

MLC School has traditionally encouraged girls to develop confidence in articulating their ideas. It is no wonder then that Debating is one of the most popular activities within the School. Social debates are organised with other schools and the Inter-House Competition gives all students the chance to take part.

Selected students represent the School in the Archdale Debating Competition and the ISDA Competition, in public speaking competitions such as the Independent Girls' Schools' Speaking Competition, Legacy Public Speaking and Rostrum Voice of Youth.  Our Year 6 girls debate in the ISDA Competition and throughout the year in a friendly inter-school competition, culminating in a JSHAA Debating Gala Day.

In 2007 MLC won the ISDA Year 10 Shield and in 2008 has two representative teams in the Grand Finals of the Archdale Shield. MLC School is also extremely proud to have a member in the 2008 NSW State Team and members of the Archdale Representative Team. In recent years, students were State winners and Regional finalists in the Legacy and United Nations Youth Association Public Speaking Competitions.

MLC also enters teams annually in debating invitationals at the University of Sydney, UNSW and UTS Brennen and Barker Cups, are trophies that have been won by MLC.

In debating the girls develop:

• the confidence to speak in front of a room full of people
• the ability to present an argument persuasively
• the vision to understand that there are two sides to most arguments
• the respect for others, to let them have their say
• the sense of timing, to prioritise material and speak in a given time period
• the structure to order thoughts, to introduce, develop and summarise points
• the general and specific knowledge of many current affairs topics, learnt through research and debate

Debating Mentors

One reason for our remarkable success in debating is that Debating also boasts a very successful mentoring program with our former debating champions being the coaches of the current teams. These girls have been shield holders themselves many going on to debate at University.

Public Speaking

Each year our girls compete in Public Speaking Competitions such as the AHIGS Festival of Speech, the Australian Rostrum Voice of Youth Public Speaking Competition for Secondary School Students, the Legacy Public Speaking Competition and the Sydney Morning Herald Plain Speaking Competition.