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Branksome Hall News

Grade 11 Debaters Make it to Final Round at British Parliamentary Championships and Finish Fourth Nationally

They’ve done it again. Grade 11 student debaters Hao and Elizabeth competed at the recent National British Parliamentary Championships, an incredibly competitive tournament with the best teams in the country vying for coveted spots in the finals.
After two days and six rounds of debate, Hao and Elizabeth were seeded 8th out of 44 teams and made it all the way to the final. In the finals round, Elizabeth and Hao were the only all girls team. “This was very intimidating, considering that there were only three female competitors in a round of eight debaters,” said Hao.

At the end of the tournament, Hao and Elizabeth finished fourth nationally—an impressive result! 

Debate Coach Grace Nolan is proud of the results of the duo. “While they lost a hard fought (or argued) final, Hao and Elizabeth were the only all-female team in the final round,” she said.

This tournament was also a qualifier for the Oxford Schools Debate and the Cambridge Schools Debate. Hao and Elizabeth will find out soon if they will debate at Oxford University or Cambridge University in March.

“British Parliamentary Nationals was definitely a challenging tournament,” said Hao. “For me, the most exhilarating experience of the tournament was the elimination rounds. It was a very high stakes tournament, as it determined whether or not we could participate in the Oxford/Cambridge tournaments in March. Although Elizabeth and I struggled a bit at the beginning of the tournament, we kept a healthy and strong mentality throughout. We made it all the way to the finals, beating many highly experienced debaters along the way.”
 
While they were disappointed in losing the finals, Hao and Elizabeth are incredibly thrilled and excited about the potential of representing Branksome and debating in Oxford or Cambridge, either online or in person.
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LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We wish to acknowledge this land on which Branksome operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work and go to school on this land.

Setting the new standard for girls' education everywhere takes collective action. From all of us.
 
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