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On Monday March 2 prior to the 2009 Adjudication Workshop a quick SGM for the Wellington Speaking Union will be held, to approve the 2008 Accounts. The accounts can be downloaded by clicking here, and the Treasurer’s Report by clicking here.
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Two Wellington secondary school debaters – Maria English from Samuel Marsden Collegiate and Holly Jenkins from Sacred Heart College – were part of the Russell McVeagh New Zealand Schools Debating Team which won the World Schools Debating Champs in Athens recently.
The Wellington Speaking Union congratulates Maria and Holly on their amazing success.
Particular congratulations to Maria who was ranked as the world’s second best student debater. That is a truly remarkable achievement!
Both Maria and Holly have been very successful in WSU Competitions over the years. Maria won the Premier A Grade in 2008 and was the co-best speaker in the final, along with the Impromptu Cup competition. Holly was a quarter-finalist in Premier A in 2008, a runner-up (to Maria) in the Impromptu Cup competition, and won the junior Impromptu Cup title in 2005 (beating Maria!).
Holly has now left school to attend Victoria University. Maria has another year at school left!
09
The Wellington Speaking Union invites schools to enter teams in the intercollegiate debating grades for 2009. Below you will find links to the key information required.
The letter of invitation to schools, containing information about the organisation of the grades in 2009, the fees, how to enter, plus more, can be found here.
The WSU Calendar for 2009, containing the dates of all the rounds plus events like the adjudication workshop, Stockley Cup, and Impromptu Cup competitions, can be found here. Please note this is a draft only at this stage. The confirmed version will be posted here on 2 March.
The WSU Entry Form can be downloaded here.
Finally the topics for round 1 of the competition can be found here.
Entries close on February 20. On March 2, all schools will receive copies of letters from grade convenors, draws for each grade (including topics and sides), supplementary information, and a confirmed copy of the calendar. Please get your entries in on time.
For more information, please contact the Intercollegiate Convenor.
03
Two current and former Wellington schools debaters leave today to compete at the 2009 World Schools Debating Championships, as part of the Russell McVeagh New Zealand Schools’ Debating Team.
Holly Jenkins (Sacred Heart College) and Maria English (Marsden) were both members of the team that finished as runners-up at the 2008 World Champs in Washington in September last year. This year, they are aiming to finish one place higher. Good luck!
The debating starts on 11 February and you can see round by round results as they come to hand at www.debating.org.nz
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Entry forms for intercollegiate debating grades in 2009 will be posted to schools on Thursday 5 February. For more information in the meantime, please email the WSU President.