While pandemic restrictions make things a bit more challenging, debating and public speaking continue to thrive at SJR. In August, SJR hosted the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships online. This was the first time that the Worlds was held online and it went very well. The winner was a student from Cape Town, South Africa, but the three SJR students did very well. All three qualified for the finals, with Vishwa (Grade 12) being a finalist in Impromptu Speaking, while Keegan (Grade 11) and Lillian Borger '20 were finalists in both Impromptu Speaking and Debating. Lillian finished 9th overall and 2nd in Impromptu Speaking.
In mid-October, SJR students were involved in two competitions, the McGill Tournament and the International Independent Schools Public Speaking Championships. At McGill, 2 Grade 9 SJR teams, Poppy & Jozi , and Vedant & Ian, made the Jr semi-finals. At the Internationals, all three SJR competitors qualified for finals, with Anya (Grade 12) qualifying in Persuasive Speaking, Rhea (Grade 11) qualifying in Impromptu Speaking, and Keegan (Grade 11) qualifying in both Impromptu Speaking and Interpretive Reading. Keegan was second overall in the tournament and qualified for the World Championships, while Anya placed second in Persuasive Speaking.
The Asper Cup, which is the provincial British Parliamentary Debating Championships, were held on Sunday, Nov 1. All SJR teams did very well.
1 Vishwa (Grade 12) and Keegan (Grade 11)
2 Penelope (Grade 11) and Anya (Grade 12)
3 Aliya (Grade 11) and Rhea (Grade 11)
6 Rere (Grade 12) and Jenna (Grade 12)
7 Josh (Grade 10) and Lev (Grade 10)
8 Andrew (Grade 10) and Connor (Grade 10)
9 Rachel (Grade 10) and Dasha (Grade 10)
Individual Speakers:
1 Vishwa
2 Aliya
3 Penelope
5 Keegan
7 Anya
8 Josh
9 Jenna
10 Rhea
As a result, the following teams qualified for the National BP Championships in Alberta
Vishwa and Keegan
Penelope and Anya
Aliya and Rhea
Rere and Jenna
Josh and Lev