St Andrew's School - 13th & 20th January 2025

2025 has got off to a great start with our St Andrew's School Debating and Interview club.

On skills we have worked on body language for discussions and argumentation, as well as persuasive language and POIs.

Newsrounds have included a review of the devastating fires in LA, AI and Fake news, the ban of TikTok in the US, Storms in the US and UK, the resignation of Justin Trudeau in Canada, the talk of a sale of Greenland, the passing of former President Jimmy Carter, and the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance. 

We have also looked at what words the groups thought embodied leadership, a selection including:

Integrity, Kind, Generous, Polite, Supportive, Inspirational, Confident, Brave, and Determined. 

Warm-up questions have reflected on holidays as well as New Year’s Resolutions, with various suggestions from taking up new sports, reading more, languages and hobbies, to greater work focus or time-management. In addition we asked the group for their 'favourite words and why?' as well as 'if they could meet any fictional character from the history of fiction?' 

We also looked at what the group felt had been the greatest technological invention of all time?Ideas included the first Space Landing, to the Industrial Revolution and Steam Engine, and Flying. 

Debates have taken in motions on a sale/purchase of Greenland, and inspired by the harrowing stories and scenes of the LA fires, a debate on climate change and whether we should act now? Or, if the focus should be Bezos/Musk style on Planet B and space? and finally 'This House would study the oceans first before we invest in space research?'

We also looked an x2 images (unseen) of the late Queen Elizabeth II to see if we could spot the AI option. This led to some fascinating conclusions!

Well done all on a superb start to 2025!