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Our students Maxim Fowler and Lauryn Healey have won individual awards at the Debating Matters Yorkshire Championship.
Maxim, who is studying A Levels in Drama and Theatre Studies; English Language and Literature; and History, received the Best Individual Prize for his contribution to a debate entitled ‘Monuments to controversial historical figures should remain’. His efforts earned him a copy of The Routledge Guidebook to Mill on Liberty, a signed copy of Dr Paul Wetherly’s book Political Ideologies and a Thomas Edison quote notebook.
Lauryn Healey is presented with her prize by Paul Thomas, Co-founder and Organiser of The Leeds Salon.
Lauryn, who is studying A Levels in Government and Politics; History and Maths, claimed the Leeds Salon Special Individual Prize despite not being involved in a debate, based on her excellent audience contributions and questions that she posed to the teams. The judges selected Lauryn as the student who most embodied the spirit of Debating Matters and she received a copy of Joanna Williams’ book Academic Freedom in an Age of Conformity: Confronting the Fear of Knowledge.
Maxim, 16, of High Street, Silkstone, said: “I was very proud to win the award, especially as I came into the debating team at a late stage. I prepared for the debate by looking at different arguments around the subject and thinking of key questions which would need to be answered by both sides. The skills I learnt will be very useful in future.”
Lauryn, 18, of Penistone, added: “The competition was a really good experience. I want to study politics at university so it was useful to see how other people approached their debates and the different angles they used in putting forward their case. I did a lot of research on the debate topics so I was able to get involved by asking questions from the audience.”