Parents

Information on the debate program, particularly for new parents:

It’s all about ice time – Most of the secret of success is practice. Those who debate a lot get better, faster. As a club we attend a wide variety of tournaments. You are welcome to choose which ones your child attends (based on his or her other commitments and cost). But encourage her or him to attend some tournaments. Our students have placed 1st in Canada five of the last six years. Partly that is because we have the best students and the best coaches, but mostly it's because of the ice time.

Don’t hold back – Some new debaters lack confidence and want to wait, just a little bit, before they enter a tournament. As they wait, others become more experienced and see their skill level improve. Everyone is welcome to proceed at his or her own pace—but it is usually a mistake to wait. The sooner they break the ice, the easier it is to get better.

It takes time -Debating is difficult. That’s the whole point, really. Because debaters need to work out presentation skills, argumentation, content and rebuttal it takes most students two years before they improve significantly. Encourage them to stick with it.

You are essential – Several tournaments we enter require that we provide parent judges. On four occasions during the debating year we need a large number of parents to judge; we are restricted in how many teams we can enter by how many judges we field. So please volunteer; if you are uncomfortable doing so yourself, find a friend who will pitch in for your child’s judging requirement. We provide training, and you don’t judge your son or daughter.

Drives matter – Many of our events are held at Sacred Heart but we also travel to exotic parts of Nova Scotia (Middleton, Truro, Antigonish). Please volunteer to drive if you are able.

There is something for everyone – We talk about our most successful debaters, of course, but the reason we do this is educational: every student that participates can get better. The skills learned are valuable regardless what career path the student wishes to follow. Most of the tournaments we enter are open to everyone, regardless of experience or ability. I can’t guarantee every student will win a tournament but there is no reason every student can’t enter a tournament.

Coaches - We are lucky to have three experienced coaches at Sacred Heart - Patricia Donnelly coaches the junior high boys, Kathryn Bjornson coaches the junior high girls and Brian Casey coaches the senior high debaters. We are often able to recruit a university student or two to help out.

Details - The links contain detailed information - likely dates for upcoming events, as well as links to sign up.

Keeping in touch - I normally email parents about upcoming events. If you don't mind, I'd like to add your name to our list (we only use it for Sacred Heart and Fountain debate communications).

Please feel free to speak to one of the coaches if you have any questions. Email me: kbjornson@shsh.ca