On Sunday, 1st July 2007, five articulate students will depart Bermuda and travel for over twenty hours to Seoul, Republic of Korea to represent Bermuda in the world’s top debate competition for high school students.
Bermuda’s national team comprises the Captain, Adam Kiki-Charles (18), Blake Sonnenfeld (15), Sasha Slayton (16), all of Saltus, Michelle Kelly (16) of Mount Saint Agnes, Aliyyah Ahad (16) of Bermuda High School, and reserve Jacari Brimmer-Landy (15) of Saltus, accompanied by their coach, Trevor Leitch and Bermuda’s judge, Jennifer Haworth.
The World Schools Debating Championships is the most prestigious event in high school parliamentary debating. The tournament has brought together more than 50 countries since it was first held in 1988. The Bermuda Debate Society has been sending a national team to participate in this tournament for more than 15 years and even hosted this prestigious tournament in 1997.
Each year, participating countries send a team that competes in 8 preliminary debates (4 prepared rounds and 4 impromptu or ‘unseen’ rounds). After the preliminary rounds, the top 16 teams enter elimination rounds, all with the goal of being named Champion in the Grand Final. The four prepared topics that the students must debate are: ‘This House believes that free trade harms the developing world,’ ‘This House believes that Holocaust denial should be a crime,’ ‘This House believes that the United States should withdraw from its military bases in Asia,’ and ‘This House would make the development of clean industry a condition for receiving non-emergency aid.’
The tournament provides not only the opportunity to meet and compete against top-level debaters from around the world, but also the opportunity to tour the host country. Students at this year’s tournament will not only be taken on a Seoul city tour, but will also have the fantastic opportunity to travel to the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea and other cultural activities.
The team would like to thank its sponsors: Gold Level sponsor Bank of Bermuda Foundation, Silver Level sponsors English Speaking Union, Deloitte and Renaissance Re and Bronze Level sponsor Ariel Re.
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