Dalriada Debaters win Best Team Award at NI Final

AWAY back in early November the Dalriada Debating Society, Arguendo, set its face towards Stormont and the April Grand Final of the NI Schools Debating Competition.

This is the biggest debating competition in Northern Ireland with a record 86 teams from across the Province taking part this year.

Dalriada entered two teams – an Upper Sixth team consisting of Sarah Laverty and Patrick McIlveen and a Lower Sixth team of Carla Hunter and Christy Gregg.

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Round One drew the Upper Sixth Dalriads against former champions Belfast Inst with the Dalriads opposing the motion that student debt is a fair price to pay for an education. This was a very closely fought game with the local newcomers to this competition taking on one of the city giants and ultimately the same team that would go on to make it to the April Final. However, with only a mark between them the judge awarded the round to Inst but also put Dalriada through to the next round – as close to a draw as you can get in a competition! The Lower Sixth team met St MacNissi’s to propose the same motion and were easily awarded a place in Round Two.

So, Round Two gave Sarah and Patrick [U6] a chance to debate against last year’s overall winners and another giant in the arena – Bangor Grammar. The Lower Sixth, Carla and Christy, took on Friends’ School, Lisburn and proposed the same motion but were unfortunately beaten very narrowly.

Mrs Millican reports that she has high hopes for the success of this team next year as they become the Upper Sixth team and lead the way though the competition. Sarah and Patrick however won Round Two and put Bangor Grammar to rout.

Round Three was against yet another major player and big city team, Methodist College, Belfast. In the end the judge awarded Dalriada a place in the Quarter Finals and another Belfast school surrendered to the country newcomers.

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The Quarter Final was played in the prestigious new Council Chamber of Newtownabbey Council at Mossley Mill against the team from Friends’ School who had put the Lower Sixth team out in Round Two. Sarah and Patrick were opposing the motion that funding the 2012 Olympics at the expense culture. After a very close competition the judges announced that it had come down to the final summing up and that Friends narrowly won the argument in the final analysis. However, Sarah Laverty was awarded a place in the Best Individual Final and the team was nominated for the Best Team Award – an award given annually to the team which best incorporates the spirit and character of the competition.

So, a few weeks ago the Dalriads made their last journey this school year into the debating arena – this time in the Senate Chamber of Parliament Buildings at Stormont. Sarah was given the motion “This House believes that Parliamentary elections would benefit from an injection of the X Factor” and had to prepare both sides of the motion, only being told which side she was on 30 minutes before the debate began. Dalriada’s own Chairman of the Board of Governors, Mr Brian Dillon, attended to support Sarah and reported that the standard of the debate among the young speakers was extremely high and could put quite a few of our politicians to shame.

Sarah was drawn to propose the motion and performed superbly, the most active in making and responding to a wide range of Points of Information and in the end was narrowly beaten by a young speaker from Bangor Grammar.

The team final was between Rathmore Grammar and Belfast Inst with Rathmore winning for the first time in the competition’s history. And the final award of the night was the Best Team Award where each of the numerous judges had nominated one team out of the 86 competing teams. Sarah and Patrick won this award because of their spirit, attitude and character throughout the year long competition. It is a credit to them and the school they belong to, which is very much characterised by mutual support and individual hard work.

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Mrs Millican, the Team Coach over the past three years, paid tribute to Mr Leo McKee, “He is an absolutely brilliant sponsor. The pupils love the Arguendo hoodies that he provides and he takes a genuine interest in all the details of the society’s activities. We enjoy working with him and appreciate his financial as well as personal support of our endeavours.”

So well done to the Dalriads for another successful year and here’s to next year.