Debating and Public Speaking are competitive and invaluable activities which give our students an array of skills for life after school. At Kirrawee, we offer our students the opportunity to speak and debate in a range of competitions against public, selective and independent schools. Our students are able to gain an array of coaching experiences both within school, and externally, which assist in their critical thinking and teamwork.
Due to the overwhelming student interest in debating (over 40 students), and in Public Speaking (over 30 students), we have now entered a range of competitions:
- Premier’s Debating Competition
- Premiers Public Speaking Competition
- Sutherland Shire Debating Competition
- Sutherland Shire Public Speaking Competition, which Kirrawee High School coordinates.
These competitions allow students from Years 7 and 8, Years 9 and 10 and Year 11 to develop their skills of persuasion, develop their confidence, and to engage with nuanced ideas, whilst competing against other schools.
In Sutherland Shire Debating Competition we currently have 7 teams registered, comprising of 4 junior and 3 senior.
Historically Kirrawee High School is very strong in its debating and public speaking traditions, having developed some formidable teams and speakers in the past. Last year one of our junior teams was successful in winning the junior division of the Sutherland Shire Debating Competition, and our students won final places in both the junior and senior divisions of the Sutherland Shire Public Speaking Competition.