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Dr George Gross

St. Kitts International Academy Debating & Public Speaking Club - 1st October 2024




This was a superb session with our SKI Academy Debating club.

On skills we focussed on rebuttal and active listening as well as how to tackle an unseen image, text or other source. This was a particularly interesting discussion centering on Holbein's portrait of Henry VIII, with no right/wrong answers, the group was encouraged to have a go at making points about the painting more generally. Well done all.

We then turned to our warm-up interview style questions:

(i) What do you find most challenging at school?

Here our focus was to turn this into a positive, i.e. the challenge of a subject, sport or wider activity is the reason for enjoying it, e.g. problem solving in Mathematics or winning competitions in sport. 

(ii) Is it better to be good or to be happy?

This philosophical style question saw the group split, with 40% for good and 60% for happy at the first telling. Being in the right headspace (a happy wellbeing) was seen as important to being good. With some convincing argumentation a third option was given at the second telling, so that both/ or a via media was offered: this saw 80% argue for that option, with just 20% for happiness. 

Our newsround saw extensive responses/ideas - a really tremendous example of information gathering:

  • SKI Tech-fest conference 

  • St Lucia 27th September sporting celebrations 

  • Widening conflict in the Middle East (Iran, Israel, Hezbollah - Lebanon)

  • St Kitt's International Day of Peace

  • Cruise Ship Delay (Villa Vie Odyssey)

  • Coal power ending in the UK

  • London crime news 

  • Hurricane Helene 

  • ISS news with the two stranded astronauts 

  • The US vice-presidential TV debate 

We then turned to our set-piece debates on the motions:

(1) Are ticket prices too high for music/sporting events (e.g. Taylor Swift world tours):

Here the voting began 50/50 but moved in the second telling to 80/20, with the majority arguing that they were too high and only permitting those with significant financial means to attend. The other side saw the free market argument that this was a simple case of supply and demand. 

(2) Who should help when it comes to Hurricanes? The Government; Insurance Companies; People themselves?

Here voting oscillated between each group with the majority supporting a balance of all three. 

We ended with a discussion of what each speaker would prioritize if they were in charge of education. Answers included:

More Sport, more Mathematics, and more Dance. 

Very well done all!


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