Through heated discourse, twelfth-grade strand representatives argued for solutions to topical current issues in the English Fortnight 2024 Debate Finals held last January 29.
Speaking before a student-teacher audience in the Luxembourg Hall, selected debaters from ABM, GAS, HUMSS, and STEM argued on motions tackling societal progress and moral ethics following the British Parliamentary Debate format.
The Grade 12-exclusive competition consisted of two semi-final matches and one final match, each with its own motion. SISC Basic Ed faculty members from the English and SLGE Departments adjudicated the debates.
The penultimate contest held for English Fortnight, the Debate Finals pitted STEM against ABM discussing the rise of globalization, and GAS vs HUMSS tackling the tendency of society to renew old things and people.
It concluded with a decisive final match between STEM and HUMSS debating on the motion suggesting the breeding of animals to serve as props in museum exhibits.
The representatives from HUMSS class 12-Diplomacy—consisting of Daphne Soriano, Regina Zalameda, Yoeiza Garcia, and Sihyun Park—bagged the championship for the competition.
The Debate Finals were the culmination of individual class elimination rounds that served as the Language and Literature midterms for Grade 12. The best speakers from each competing class team formed the strand representatives for the championship round.
“The second course that we have for Grade 12 is oral communication, and . . . [debate aligns with] the skills that we are targeting for the students to acquire,” Grade 12 Language and Literature teacher and Debate Finals host Ms. Beverly “Bevs” Fulgosino explained as the reason why seniors debated.
The English Fortnight Debate competition aimed to develop the speaking, reasoning, critical thinking, and time management skills of seniors through argument and impromptu discussion.
Prior, debate was delegated as the competition for Grade 10 in English Fortnight 2023, with Grade 12 having a short film contest.
Celebration of Critical Thinking
In the week before the Debate Finals, the Grade 12 Language and Literature classes held individual elimination rounds to select strand representatives, concluding with the following: Marielle Arevalo, Sofia Ramos, Hyun Kyu Song, and Marianne Faylona for STEM; Angelica Tolentino, Juliana Tan, Jacqueline Jocson, and Gabriel Alunan for ABM; Moira Pabello, Philipe Castellvi, Hyunjeong Gwark, and Rion Takahasi for GAS; and Daphne Soriano, Regina Zalameda, Yoeiza Garcia, and Sihyun Park for HUMSS.
In the chilling atmosphere of Luxembourg Hall, anticipation and suspense from teachers and students alike hung in the air as the Grade 12 debate began. Several sections from different strands gathered in the Hall to support the representatives of their respective strands. With all the topics being on global issues and concerns, many were sitting at the edge of their seats as they prepared to witness a verbal battle of facts, wits, and confidence.
“The English Fortnight Debate Competition [is] a celebration of critical thinking, intellectual courage, and enduring power of language,” Ms. Bevs stated in her opening remarks.
Upon the announcement of their debate topic and stance, the teams had to prepare for only 20 to 25 minutes before speaking. Computer Lab 3 buzzed with frantic activity from each of the groups as they did their best to maximize the time given to them.
According to Sihyun Park from the HUMSS representative group, she expressed her focus on understanding her topic given their short preparation time. She explained, “I didn't really feel nervous or overwhelmed, I just wanted to do well and represent our strand well.”
The first match had the motion of “This house regrets the rise of Globalization,” with STEM taking the government side while ABM was the opposition—the former emerged victorious after defending their stance. This was followed by the second match with GAS on the government and HUMSS on the opposition as they debated “This house rejects society’s constant lookout for new versions of old people and old things.” The HUMSS team rebutted the government’s arguments and won the round.
Culminating the entire competition, the final showdown occurred between STEM as government and HUMSS as opposition with the motion “This House suggests breeding animals to serve as props in museum exhibits.” After this round, it was announced that the winning team would be revealed during the English Fortnight Awarding Ceremony, and the Debate Finals came to a close.
The competition lasted 2 hours, consisting of two preliminary and final rounds. Students in the audience gasped in unison whenever they heard a baffling statement, proving their interest in the event. They clapped loudly after each speaker, filling the air with their support and enthusiasm for all teams, regardless of the strand they represented. Even after teams were eliminated, there was mutual respect between the groups.
As the Awarding Ceremony was held on February 1, 2024, the HUMSS debate team emerged victorious as the Debate Finals overall champion. Two of their speakers, Yoeiza Garcia and Sisi Park, won Best Speaker: Garcia for the second round (GAS vs HUMSS) and Park for the third (STEM vs HUMSS).
According to Park, “I have no thoughts of me being the ‘Best Speaker’ solely, because I don't think that's something that I can gauge in a team-based sport like debate. At some points, I [knew] my other teammates did better than me and vice versa. I'm simply glad that it happened.”
STEM was awarded as the Debate Finals runner-up, with Sofia Ramos bagging the Best Speaker award for the first round (STEM vs ABM).
In the end, the debate was a resounding success for all teams. It served as a testament to the students’ intellectual prowess, along with their passion for global issues and commitment to constructive dialogue. The event not only educated and inspired those in attendance, but it also sparked interactions within the student community as people discussed the happenings of the debate.