Kootenay Debaters showed they were up for the challenge to discuss the pros and cons of timely topics like “whether the government should prioritize rentals over home ownership” or that “cancel culture does more harm than good,” during a regional competition held Saturday.
Students from J.L. Crowe participated in the LV Rogers 10th Annual Winter Debate Tourney in Nelson on Jan. 14.
Topics for this tournament were both prepared and impromptu.
The prepared proposition was released one week beforehand and the impromptu topic allotted debaters 30 minutes of preparation time.
Topics for the prepared session included: “This House Believes that governments, when determining housing policy, should heavily prioritize supporting renters over homeowners.”
The timeliness of the prepared resolution allowed the students to investigate the topic as it unfolded last week in the B.C. Legislature.
For the impromptu debate, the topics included: “This house believes that cancel culture does more harm than good.”
Debate coach Marilyn Lunde says the impromptu topic allowed more freedom for students to bring their own broad general knowledge to the table.
“Whether it is more important to rent than to own a house, or that cancel culture does more harm than good, students were able to bring forth their best arguments to defend their side,” said Lunde, Crowe librarian.
Both categories debated in the Canadian National Debate Format (CNDF).
This was the last local tournament before selection of the West Kootenay Team.
The team is looking forward to the Law Foundation Cup Debate Provincials that will be held the first weekend in March.
J.L. Crowe results
In the individual junior category: Trinity Schneider placed 1st; Andonae Van Staden 2nd; Dean Sutherland 3rd; and Lydia Moores was 4th.
In the junior team category: Trinity and Andonae placed first; Dean and Lydia took second place.
In the individual senior division: Liam Skeoch was 1st; Emma Ford 5th; Oliver Ridge was 6th; and Matthew Lewis placed 8th.
Senior team placement saw Liam and Emma place first and Oliver and Matthew place fourth.
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