Whether Christmas should be regretted or not was this week’s motion in our weekly debate in Room 9 after school on Thursday. The Opening Proposition was Ruby Wang & Leyla Shi whose main argument was that children are harmed by the lies told to them about Christmas: it is trust that is lost when we celebrate Christmas as we do. However, the Opening Opposition of Jaden Chiu & Sourish Chanda did more than enough to give us reason not to regret Christmas – form the social cohesion it creates to the host of psychological gains. The Closing half of the debate didn’t bring enough new material to the debate to beat the opening half – though the team of Dilara Gencer & first time debater Maisie Dorgu almost did enough, seeking to turn this debate into a consideration of the harms caused by Christmas in the past – such as the colonial destruction of other cultures. The Closing Opposition team of Chloe Yuen & Kylie Leung couldn’t make a bigger impression on the debate than the Opening Opposition, despite arguing so well. A difficult debate, but an excellent one, and great preparation for our next competitions: Oxford University & Liverpool University, both in January.

Mr Ahern & Mr Murphy