SJII Debaters!

2010-02-19T15:50:00.000-08:00

today our VC team consisting of Chris Yuen, Matthew Tan, Ben Teo and Gerard Lee will be competing against the other top Junior Colleges in Singapore. Good luck! :)

some photos i took during the latest debate session

2010-02-11T03:39:00.000-08:00

Chris
Matthew and Ben Teo

2010

2010-01-30T23:25:00.000-08:00

hello! this is liz. so anyway, we've had two debate sessions this year and it's about time we welcomed everyone who joined or rejoined debate. a summary of what we've done - played the one minute speech game and the throwing people off the boat game, and also got a crash course in debating and the different roles of each speaker from gerard and matthew. next week will be a quick fire round on the topic regarding violent acts and how they should not be screened by the media. so thats about it! another update will be forthcoming... sooner or later. see you wednesday, 3.15pm sharp!

Introducing : THE DEBATERS OF 2009!

2009-10-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hello all, we thought it was about time that the world knew our debaters. And so without further ado, here they are!

First, we have the 2 men who made this possible!

Mr Anandraj the teacher in charge

And Marc Khoo the coach!

Unfortunately, we do not have clearance to post his picture on his blog. Sorry!

Moving on to the debators themselves we have the grade 11s!

Benjamin Teo in the middle.
Alyssa Chng! No need for me to specify who it is.

Shoba! I do not want to risk mispelling her surname!

Trieu Duong Luu! Hopefully the order of his name is correct!

Now for the Grade 10s!

First, the 2008 debater of the year: Gerard Lee!

Elizabeth Lien!

Then the grade 9s!

Our Vice president. DANIEL FONG

The grade 8s

Here we have Rajat! He is leaving Singapore though, we wish him all the best!

And here we have 2 very friendly grade 8s, Sathya and Dao Han !

2 more of our grade Joel Mak and Anand!

And last but not least our newcomers from this year!

THE GRADE 7s!

Tristan and Chern Han

And Kevin

But oh no! We seem to be missing not a few, but MANY debaters. Do not worry, we will get all the photos next term and no one will be left out. See you then!

2009-09-30T20:51:00.001-07:00

“It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it.” -Joseph Joubert(French Essayist and moralist, 1754-1824)

Debate Society Video

2009-09-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

Daniel Fong, our vice-President made this video:

TABOO!

2009-09-16T00:47:00.000-07:00

Hello World!

Ben here. Now it's my first post here but the blog hasn't been updated in a while so here goes. (since July!)

Now since then, the ACJC invitationals have come and gone and we... "epic failed" (quote Christopher Yuen, who actually managed to place as 6th best speaker in the competition) Well basically we failed to qualify for the quarter finals, but our speakers, especially Shoba, have shown huge improvements over the past few months. really well done guys!

Since then, debate club has gone on as per normal. and we've recently had a batch of new students from the Middle School to join Debating. As such, our coach, Marc has been busy training both the IB Debators and the new students.

This week's debating session included a highly productive game of Taboo.

Update Me Please

2009-07-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

Jose here. This blog needs to be updated!

The debate club is going through the ACJCs right now and we NEED to get updates!

By the way, thanks La Salle Green Hills. We're currently discussing sending teams to the Philipppines. =)

Small Update Regarding the MIDCs

2009-04-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

We lost in the 4th preliminary round to VJC by a 2-1 split.
We lost in the quarter-finals to VJC by a 2-1 split.
The winner of the MIDC is VJC.

This means that the only team we lost to is the current reigning champion of the MIDC tournament!

*throws confetti up into the air*

Okay, that's self-consolatory enough. We need to prepare for the inter-class debates now, and for that, I'll be transferring blog authorship to someone else. Probably Shoba. Welcome her, whoever reads this poor lonely blog. =P

Quarters. The Aftermath.

2009-04-18T05:49:00.000-07:00

Sigh... We lost. To VJC. THW Place Quotas on the Number of Women in Elected Office.

2-1 Split. Again. Ouch.

Then again, when you put things into context, it was a wonderful achievement. A group which could reach the quarters after one month of training. Really.. It was a magnificent achievement. =)

I root you guys on. And I salute you. You're a magnificent team.

SO NEXT YEAR YOU'D BETTER WIN THE MIDC FOR US!

In the meantime, we've got the ACJC team to start preparing. And we've got the SMU Hammers to get them in training. And I'll be in the SMU Hammers with my DEP mates. We just might meet. Mwahaha...

Quarters

2009-04-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

Well... We won three rounds in the prelims..

And now.. We're onto the Quarters!!

Kudos to Zhen He for getting best speaker twice in the previous rounds. We're rooting for you mate! And of course, Jose too (who is yours truly), for getting best speaker for one of the rounds.

Tomorrow, we meet our opponents for the quarters. We can only hope that we can get into the semis. ALL MIDC DEBATERS PLEASE SLEEP BY 10 PM TONIGHT!!!!

Now all I need to do is to make sure I don't flout that order. Dang..

This Saturday

2009-03-30T05:06:00.000-07:00

Today, the senior debaters came to school at 9. Today, we practised, despite this being our holidays. Today, we showed all the random teachers and staff who entered the room that we're truly fanatical about debate and that debate is a force to be reckoned with.

Today, we prepared for Saturday's motion.

THW Abolish the Veto Vote in the UN. Vs Jurong JC.

No talking about our case. We'll keep it all hush hush. So shh...

So people, come and support us. If anything, just come to see us in our new snazzy formal school uniform made for us debaters!!! =P

Happy Birthday to Daniel!

2009-03-18T05:09:00.000-07:00

The title says it all. A video and a few pics to commemorate the event!

Defeat? Nah...

2009-03-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

Well, last Friday, we won the battle. CHIJ Katong lost to us. It was not a unanimous win, however, and that's probably what cost us the progression to the quarters. Sigh... But you know what? It's a milestone that we've been able to progress this far already. From a newcomer into the JG Scene last year (and becoming a finalist in the B Division at that) to now moving into the A Division against the well-established schools such as Hwa Chong and Raffles. Our team of Gerard, Patricia and Daniel Fong have done the school proud. We'll just learn from this and apply it to our future competitions to make SJII become just as renowned for debating as all the other battlecruisers already in the running (the analogy works well, you see. The other schools are big, have lots of people, have a reputation and are generally good in debating).

So was this a defeat? Yes. We lost the battle. But the war is far from over.

Now let's have a debating tip or two from our friendly blog writer, Jose. I recently went for the Dorothy Cheung's @ NTU on Saturday and Sunday with two DEP friends of mine. The first thing that struck me was the (lack of) efficiency the organisers had. The debate was supposed to start at 9 am. They only started at 10 something. They even had a late fee to supposedly deter those who didn't arrive on time. Didn't work. Pity. And in between matches, we had groups milling around for time periods of up to 30 minutes or even more. Lunch, which was supposed to be served in the early afternoon, only came at 3.30 pm... And guess what? We were supposed to have 4 preliminary rounds. We ended up having only 3. Why? Because if we had 4, we'd probably have ended at 8.30 pm instead of 5.30 pm as stated in the schedule.

The next day really wasn't any different, although there was a slight improvement in speeding up. We started late. Argh. So next time anyone goes for these university debating competitions, just be wary. Even the rules might be different (apparently challenging definitions set by the proposition is much harder than in the WSDC format).

Well, my group went on to the quarters of the competition. This was special because we were in the same group as the university teams unlike the rest of the JCs. The explanation for this was that our scores were so good that we got placed in the top few groups there. But then again, it all also depends on who your judge is, I suppose. But really, having 5 debates in two days was... Wow.. Indescribable. And having 30 minutes prep time for 7 minute speeches.. Even more wow.. An even more amazingly, I found myself able to do it. But to be honest, I couldn't've done with without my great team. Haha.

As for the debating tips, here's one very important one. In a debate, when you seem to be getting pummeled by your opponents, just keep this in mind: whose perspective are they looking from? More often than not, you'll find that they're leaving something out and so, from there, you can use that to your teams' advantage. Case in point, we were debating this motion against Temasek Poly in the quarters (which we lost):

THBT welcomes developmental aid to Africa from China.

We lost to TP because the debate was focused a lot on China and its motives and the things it could gain rather than on the African states itself. We didn't think or know enough about the African states and how varied they were economically and politically that we couldn't come up with very substantial counter-substantives.

Also, in a debate, whenever you're talking about a contentious issue, always think about the nature of the subject being debated. More often than not, you can find something to shift to your advantage. For example, let's look back at that China & Africa debate. TP came up to us and told us that China should not invest in Africa because Africa is known for being corrupt and shoddy and so these would hurt China's dealings and international standings, which was especially important as China was looking to be a superpower. It was explained quite nicely by TP and our team couldn't really find a way to debate that.

However, in the debrief we had, one of our DEP coaches who had come to watch us told us that we should've countered it by looking at the nature of how a state wants to become a superpower. They do so not by trying to get the approval of other superpowers or by playing to the West; they do it by gaining a foothold in other areas the other superpowers haven't yet gained a foothold in. Africa is made up of 53 states. With 53 votes behind you in the UN, you'd definitely want to use that opportunity and put your developmental aid into Africa so that they'd be grateful to you and thus support you.

Yeap, that's basically it for today. The MIDCs are next month. We'd better train our team up for them so that we can make a proper name for ourselves. And trust me, if you like debate, 5 debates in two days can actually be quite fun (though tiring).

P.S.
I STILL HAVEN'T PUT UP THE PICS AND INFO ABOUT THE MEMBERS IN OUR CLUB BECAUSE NOBODY (bar one [and even then, you just gave me three phrases about yourself via MSN Shoba {=P}]) HAS SENT ME THEIR PERSONAL INFO. PLEASE DO SOOOOOO SO THAT I CAN PUT UP YOUR HANDSOME AND PRETTY PICS HERE!!!!!!

P.P.S
And if that's the reason why you aren't giving me your info (me not putting up your pics) then I'll do so anyway. And I'll do so by first taking not-so-pretty/handsome pics of you here and by writing your personal info for you. Mwahaha....

Past, Present and Future

2009-03-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

It's the middle of the week, and we've had debate behind us, debate on our minds right now (at least, that's what Mr. Anandraj would like to have us think) and debate in front of us. Just on Monday our school sent in two IB-Level teams to participate in the NUS Policy Debates.

Our team comprising of Zhen He, Desmond/Koon Peng, Ben Teo and Chris Yuen (not in speaking order) debated the motion:
THW allow organ donors to receive compensation

Our team comprising of Shoba, Alyssa, Matthew and Luu (also not in speaking order) debated the motion:
This House will abolish the opt-out system of the Human Organ Transplant Act

We lost both rounds. =)

But really, I personally got to hand it to you guys who debated. You've been in debate for like, what, two months? And already you're participating in competitions. And of course it's your first time debating, don't feel too bad that you've lost. Of course we'd have loved for you to win (Marc Complex) but really, you guys did well. Seriously. That's what the people at the top (aka Marc and Mr. Wong) say.

But for this Friday, we have our JG Team debating against CHIJ Katong Convent! The motion is:
THW make environmental protection a condition for recieving development aid

WE'RE PRACTISING HARD!!! And for this match, we need to win! We must win! So let's raise a ruckus and tear KC down! Okay.. That was rather Spartanistic of me... Meh, but you get the gist anyway. =P

Pics of members coming soon. I now need personal info from each of them.. Don't worry guys, I'll try to put not-so-bad pictures of you up here. =)))

Coming Competitions

2009-03-05T07:18:00.000-08:00

It's quite exciting, really. It's only March and there're so many competitions coming up for everyone. Just next Friday our JG Team is debating the third preliminary round and on Monday our IB debaters are going to debate in a university invitationals.

But before we look towards the future, we have to acknowledge the past. And in the past, we have the loss against Hwa Chong last Friday. THBT ASEAN Has Failed. We were prop. And Hwa Chong was opp. And we lost. And to tell the truth, the score sheets hurt. According to the chief adjudicator there, we lost by 5.5 marks. Ouch ouch ouch. Well, there's only one way forward, whether we like it or not. And that means that we NEED to win the next preliminary round. So let's aim for it!

I'm going to put up the pictures of each of the individual members of the debating society here soon + the team members of each of our competition groups. So... Although you had to watch this space for two weeks before something new came in, just watch again! It's coming! And sooner than previously! I promise!

Three Things to Note

2009-02-15T03:12:00.001-08:00

Dear blog readers,

I apologise for the lateness of this blog post. Just that this blogger here has been part of some stuff (Lasalle Camp cough cough [so don't scold me Mr. Anandraj]) and hasn't had the time to update the blog dutifully like a good boy.

ANYWAYS, Article one:

We won the first preliminary round of the JG Prelim rounds against IJ Toa Payoh. The motion was

THW Deny Convicted Criminals the Right to Vote

The good thing is that we won.
The great thing is that Gerard got the best speaker.
And the better thing, we won by a margin of 5 points.
And the best thing is that the judge who gave us the score was the main judge at the world schools' debating championship.

So it looks like we're well on our way!

Article 2:

We had debate training on the 4th and it was a fun debate. The rules followed as thus:
1. Everyone in the room had to pretend that they were on a sinking boat.
2. They also had to pretend that there was one lifeboat, but there was only enough space in it for 5 people.
4. Everyone had to debate and say why they deserved to be on the lifeboat.
5. We, the evil seniors could POI anyone. =P

Anyways, here's a table to show exactly what happened here.

And the people who got on the boat were... Err... You know what? I forgot who won.. But here's a video to show who did the forfeit. It was a rather entertaining dance. =)

Article 3:

Lastly, on the 11th we had a movie screening. The Great Debaters. Interesting film, but you gotta watch it to know what it's about. Just about racism. Courage. Wit. And, of course, debating. Or else Mr. Anandraj wouldn't allow it would he?

And after that we had the auditions for the IB Debating team. I'll put the list in tomorrow when I check it properly. Dang. Just keep watching this space k?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

And that's pretty much it for this session. Just keep yourself posted.

SJII vs SJI (Spar) Today!

2009-01-29T05:37:00.000-08:00

Today SJII sparred against SJI in 1F4. And really, I can't say much more because any other thing which I write will only sound like I've memorised it from some stupid competition elsewhere (eg. "and our debaters were very nervous but with pluck, courage and wit they managed to pull through and put on a jolly good show for us")

You get my drift. But yeah, they were nervous. And we did pull through. And we did get a nice show (it's on video [but only for selected viewers {a magician never reveals his tricks of the trade}])

The motion: THW hold parents criminally liable for the crimes of their children

The winner: There isn't a winner. It's a friendly!

But maybe I can emphasise one really important thing for debates in general. If you're nervous and feel like you wanna puke, don't. In debates, really, what's the worst thing that could happen? Sure, you might feel as if you've made a fool of yourself. But are people going to remember that? They'll only remember you if you're amazingly good (what we're all aiming for when you're in this activity) or amazing bad (not what we're aiming for. Definitely).

Through going through each and every debate, you'll only become better. Debate is, when you think about it, a show. Many teams focus a lot on content. But what about style? Sometimes, we need to remember that style is weighted as equally as content. And if you're a nervous wreck out there, there's no way you're gonna score high in either. Be confident. Force yourself to be. It may sound like a lie, trying to make yourself confident when you're not. But is it really a lie when you tell make yourself believe in yourself and your case and eventually find out that you do feel much more confident? Trust me on this. I do it.

Aaaand that's the end for today's post. Except for the fact that we probably applied too late for the adjudication camp and so didn't get in. Sad. So we'll just wait till next time.

A New Year

2009-01-27T05:40:00.000-08:00

Well welcome back to the new year debaters. We've only just started again on debate and this time with the new year we have new members and new plans.

And despite it being so early on in the year, there are already a lot of events for the debaters in the school. For the pre-IB levels we're having the Julia Gabriels in February (time to round up support) and for all those interested we have two events taking place on the 1st of Feb (which is a Sunday).

1. The Debate Association's "Intro to Debate" Camp, which costs $100
and if you're feeling a bit more adventurous (or feel as if you want something more), we have
2. The Debate Association's Adjudicator Training Session. Which is free. =)

The two events will be running concurrently and so if you're going for one, you can't go for the other. So just make sure that you haven't gotten yourself signed up for both.

There will definitely be many events for both the pre-IB and the IB levels (the older peeps will have the MIDC debates for them and other invitationals) but we need to get the news from the Debate Association or from the schools hosting these tournaments themselves first.

And for those who will be attending the closest events, namely the Debate Association's "Intro to Debate" Camp and the Debate Association's Adjudicator Training Session, I'll paste the important info for the two events.

"Intro to Debate" Camp

1. As previously announced, Debate Association (Singapore) will be conducting a two-day debate camp on Saturday 31st Jan and Sunday 1 Feb 2009 at Nanyang Girls' High School (2 Linden Drive, Singapore 288683) .

2. The camp fee will be $100 and will include lunch on both days. Payment will be by cash on the day itself (to be placed in an envelope with the student's name and school on it) or by cheque to "Debate Association (Singapore)" (with the student's name and school written on the back of the cheque.

3. The workshop will last from 8:30am to 6pm. There will be a lunch break from noon to 1pm. Lunch will be provided. Those with special dietary restrictions should indicate clearly on the registration form.

4. Students are not expected to have any background knowledge in debating, and the camp is open to all.

5. The two-day camp will cover four key areas:
a. Public Speaking
b. Constructing an Argument
c. Rebuttal
d. Introduction to Debating

6. If you would like to attend, please complete the attached form and email a completed copy to outreach@debates.org.sg (with the same subject title as this email). We require the parent's or teacher's signature on the form, so please bring the signed copy with you to the camp. For teachers who wish to register multiple students for the camp, please fill in one form per student please.

Registration will close at 1700hrs on Wednesday 28 Jan 09.

Thanks and hope to see you at the camp!

Regards,
Gaurav Keerthi
Debate Association (Singapore)

Adjudicator Training Session

1. As previously announced, Debate Association (Singapore) will be conducting a free, full-day adjudication workshop on 1 Feb 09, Sunday at Nanyang Girls' High School (2 Linden Drive).

2. The workshop will last from 9am to 6pm. There will be a lunch break from 11.30am to 1pm. Lunch will not be provided.

3. The workshop will teach adjudication from first principles. Prior debating or adjudication experience is not required. Registration is open to anyone 16 years of age and above.

4. All attendees will be evaluated at the end of the workshop, and may be called upon to act as shadow adjudicators for upcoming debate competitions.

5. A brief outline of the workshop schedule:

0900hrs - 0945hrs : First Principles of Adjudication: Persuasiveness & Role of the Adjudicator

1000hrs - 1130hrs : Watching and Discussing a Debate Video in terms of First Principles

1130hrs - 1300hrs : Lunch Break

1300hrs - 1345hrs : Technical Elements of Adjudication: Speaker & Team Roles, Time Management, and other considerations

1345hrs - 1430hrs : Use of Adjudicator Aids: The Score Sheet, How to Comment, How to Track Debates

1430hrs - 1515hrs : Commonly-Made Mistakes by Adjudicators

1530hrs - 1730hrs : Live Exhibition Debate: Discussion of How to Formulate and Deliver an Oral Adjudication

1730hrs : End

~~~~~~

Happy Chinese New Year everybody, and we'll get our member's list out soon.

The Year Thus Far

2008-11-02T04:58:00.000-08:00

Hey all, this year has certainly been a year that will go down in the history books of the SJII debating society. Many milestones were set, and many precedents achieved by the debate society. But that's not to say that we didn't have our fair share of disappointments, failures, and problems. As they say, failure is the mother of success!

To sum up what has been truly a year to remember, Thiruneeran has given physical form to his thoughts of the year. Below is his perspective on the year thus far, and wha the has gained from it. Hopefully, juniors might appreciate the effort Thiru has put in for you guys (:

Debate Society – Audacia et Effetus
by Thiruneeran

My year at the debate society has been very interesting and meaningful because it has taken me through a learning journey. My experience has enabled me to achieve 2 important things. First of all, it has enabled me to acquire an incredibly useful skill set of being able to persuade. I used to have the impression of myself that I was able to persuade effectively. While I think I wasn’t entirely wrong, I found that there was so much more that I was able to do to clarify my thought processes and arguments to persuade much better after undergoing the training and the competition experience. Secondly, it has also given me many opportunities to interact with people and get to know them better. In the process, I have made a good many friends.

Debating in competitions enabled me to calm my nerves and remain relaxed even in tense situations. The nerve-wrecking moments during competitions were countless, even in the few competitions that I participated in. Over the months, with increased training and practice, I have been able to tackle opposing arguments not only with a calmer and hence clearer line of thought and logic, but also with more sophisticated arguments. Apart from that, it has generally improved my line of logic and has brought about increased clarity in my thought processes. And I am able to see the benefits of this first hand in my academic performance. For instance, the general standard of my English essays and commentaries have improved significantly since the start of the year. My English teacher made a point to tell me that the flow of ideas and the structure in particular have improved over the whole year.

The year in debate has given me many valuable opportunities. There have been many instances where I have been able to exercise my leadership and build rapport with many peers and juniors. Because I joined the school a year after most of the juniors had, I had little opportunity to interact with them directly. This was the case with most of the senior students. Therefore, as a whole grade level, we felt somewhat detached from the rest of the school community. My involvement in debate enabled me to overcome this distance from the juniors because I was able to interact with them on debate activities. Coupled with the juniors’ camp in which I played a role as a facilitator, I was able to effectively establish friendships with students in the junior grade levels. This gave me an avenue to get to know many more people in the school community.

Also, I have been able to serve well as I was presented the opportunity to lead the society as President. I have served in a leadership role as the President of the Drama and Gavel Club in my previous school. However, my secondary school years were a period of great change and I found it difficult to cope with the dramatic changes and as a result, my relationships with my peers and juniors underwent some stress. Hence, I wasn’t fully able to maximise the opportunities in my capacity then to bring as much benefit to those who depended on me. However, it was a great learning opportunity for me, and I’m glad that I was able to take away the learning from that experience. This time round, i’ve been able to observe my vice president and secretary and learn from the way they interacted with the juniors and coupled with my past experience, I believe that I was able to bring much more benefit to my peers and juniors. Apart from that, I have also been able to grow as a person and be much more of a friend, and in a good way, less of a president, to the members of the debate society. By doing so, even though I was in a position and capacity to lead, I was able to communicate with my peers and junior s more comfortably and got their support much more readily.

And often, I found that I was not only able to lead, but also able to bring out the leaders in many of the members. I recall more than a few occasions on which I was able to evidently see the compassionate side or the initiative of several members. Seeing my peers and juniors being leaders in their own right was a gratifying experience in itself. And they all added to my overall experience in debate society.

Also, I appreciate that the people around me constantly supported me throughout the whole process. My teacher-in-charge, coach and peers were always there to help and to cooperate. And they always reminded me of how important the art of cooperation for an organisation to grow and excel. And I’ve been able to actively practise what I have learnt and accumulated over the past years.

At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t sure whether to join debate or not. But at the end of the year, I can only say that I have most certainly made the right choice. The friends, competitions, events, and training have made for a wonderful experience throughout the year.

It’s not all good news though – there were things that could have been improved upon. The debating blog that was set up wasn’t kept up to the standard we initially aimed for. And some of the juniors did find themselves somewhat detached from the debate sessions and weren’t able to fully appreciate the merits o debating. However, the problems have been identified and I intend to work more closely with members next year to improve their experience in debate.

Conclusively, I’d just like to say that at the end of the day, my experiences and learning in the debate society have prepare me better to cope with the stresses and tensions of next year and for university.

The End

Inter-class debates.

2008-09-17T01:04:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

The interclass debates have started, and all the Grade 7s and 8s have put up debates of tremendous quality, despite the fact that this tournament is the first time they have properly debated, which is really laudable (:

On the other hand, some Grade 9s, and perhaps Grade 8s will soon be revving up to start preparing for the Arena 2009. Let's hope they do us proud!

Good luck to everyone!

Beurel Debating Challenge 2008

2008-07-13T21:48:00.000-07:00

HI GUYS! The Beurel Debate Challenge has concluded, and we emerged 4th place, which I think is a respectable position in terms of how long the team trained!

There can only be one way from this point: up!

Point to note: the next competition the Society will be fielding a team for will be the ACJC Invitationals.

Some noteworthy and hilarious pictures! I got portraits of Pat, and Rebecca too. But they didn't do you guys justice. I didn't manage to get one for Daniel.

Updates!

2008-05-19T22:58:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! some updates in the various competitions the society has been sending out teams to.

First and foremost, we had a team of under 14s taking aprt in the RJC U14 Debating Championships, and here are the results!

SJII (opp) vs Catholic High (prop)
We lost narrowly in this one! But as always, participating in a debate always ups our game up by a notch. Gets the blood boiling, the creative juices flowing, and so on and so forth.

SJII (prop) vs RGS (opp)
This one was techincally ours of the taking according to Thiru. Unfortunately, the adjudicator seemed to have a sort of bias, and at first we lost, but then it became a draw. Speak to Thiru personally for the full story! (It's quite funny!)

SJII(prop) vs Crescent Girls' School(opp)
This one was ours for the takign quite easily! The motion was "THW force students to do community service".
The debate was an impromptu debate which no doubt fired/flustered up our U14 debators. Worth mentioning however, is that the CGS team trained for a week without any coach, so no time to rest on your laurels!

And last but not least the team!

They are:
Hannah
Edward
Samy
Dominic
Ryan

Kudos to the team for rising to the occasion!
It's always been the case that SJII debators start off really badly, get polished up by a certain egoistic person, and somehow when it comes to the test; we always stand it, and most times even overcome it; exceedingly well, for our level of training!

Good job guys!

ATTEN-HUT!

2008-04-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

GUYS! We've been through so much thus far, and I think we've all really grown as debators.

So a lot of us are thinking, it'd be a waste if the stuff we have learnt dies with us leaving the school. To counter that, Thiru's thinking of putting together a sort of guidebook to help foster tradition within the SJII Debate team. As a sort of synopsis, we're thinking of having how impromptu prep sessions should go, aspects of debating that must be down to a pat, and basically the composure and attitude one should have (YES AS TAUGHT BY MARK THE EXTREMELY EGO PERSON :P).

well, anyway if you guys have any ideas! fire away!

ian(:

An Amazing Journey

2008-04-22T17:09:00.001-07:00

SJII made it through to the Grand Finals of the Singapore Secondary School Debating Competition 2008. This was the first time that SJII had entered this debating competition.

In the Grand Finals, SJII came up against Fairfield Methodist Secondary School; the very team they had defeated in the Preliminaries. The level of engagement was, expectedly, very high and the atmosphere was tense.

After some extremely erudite verbal exchanges, Fairfield Methodist were judged to be the winning side. This was a frighteningly close round as attested by the split 3/2 decision.

SJII have been on an amazing journey; this is the start of many!

JG Semis

2008-04-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

The SJII Grade 9 Team beat St. Margaret's Secondary School last Friday in the Singapore Secondary Debating Championships. We are through to the Grand Finals! The following are pictures of the night.

pictures taken by Louisa Quek
shall post pictures of the other speakers once i get them
Daniel (:

SJII vs SJI

2008-04-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

Our friends at SJI popped in on the eve of our Quarter-Finals debate against St Anthony's Canossian Secondary School. It was a spirited exchange and resulted in both teams winning.

Here are the piccies:

Daniel, Gerard and Rebecca awaiting their turn.

heat is on!

2008-03-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

So the heat is on!

As both the JG and MIDC teams prepare for their upcoming debates (JG:Quarter Finals, MIDC: Prelimnary Rounds), the debators are beginning to up their game, becoming treasure coves of general knowledge, and ultimately defining what finesse, elegance, substance, and style will be like in SJII debating.

So to all the debators! Keep working hard and all the best! There is so much we can achieve!

P.S, can someone else post too!

Ian(:

SJII vs SJI Debate Friendly

2008-03-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

A friendly verbal spar took place on 21st February 2008 at SJII stunning Glass Hall which overlooks the only "valley" in Singapore.

There were no losers as it established a relationship between the two schools which will undoubtedly grow stronger.

SJII beats Maris Stella!

2008-03-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

The SJII Singapore Secondary Schools Debating Competition 2008 team beat Maris Stella High School last Friday in Round 2 of the Preliminaries.

The team was: Rebecca Fam, Daniel Lim and Gerard Lee.

Daniel Lim was the best speaker.

Numero Uno.

2008-02-29T06:50:00.001-08:00

Hya all! Very first post! Look for mroe updates soon, hopefully we can get this up and all snazzy soon enouogh!

Ian (: