Thurso High School debating duo tell of 'invaluable' opportunities
Thurso High School's head boy and head girl have spoken of the "unique" and "invaluable" opportunities that have come their way through taking part in debating challenges.
Kyle Leavesley and Ashleigh Coghill represented the school in this year's Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament, organised by the Law Society of Scotland, and recently took part in the semi-finals at Perth High School.
It is Scotland's largest national debating contest for schools and is dedicated to the memory of former First Minister Donald Dewar MSP.
Although the sixth-year duo didn't win through to the final, they enjoyed the experience and were keen to praise their Thurso High debating coach, Alexis Wallace.
Mrs Wallace described Ashleigh, from Dunnet, and Kyle, from Reay, who are both 17, as a "fantastic team".
Ashleigh said: "If you had told me in S2 that by S6 I would have progressed to the semi-finals of the Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament twice, I wouldn’t have believed you. While I hadn’t expected myself to be a debater, I am so glad Mrs Wallace continuously encouraged me to participate in competitions.
"It has been a true highlight of my high school career. The skills that I have gained are reflected in my willingness to undertake public speaking and ability to acknowledge different perspectives of an issue.
"Not only this, but my achievements in debating have offered unique opportunities – most notably last year when Thurso attended the final of the Donald Dewar competition, hosted in the Scottish Parliament. Here, we had the chance to speak in the debating chamber and converse with MSPs, which was an exciting experience.
"By immersing myself in debate motions, it has vastly improved my knowledge of current affairs. I am beginning my studies of economics at university in September, and I owe this decision to debating for sparking my interest in the subject. I cannot thank Mrs Wallace enough for consistently supporting my debating journey and stimulating much personal development."
Kyle said: "The opportunities debating has given me have been unparalleled – from travelling around Scotland to debate against different schools, to sitting in the chambers of Holyrood in the finals of the Donald Dewar debate. I have gained so much confidence in public speaking and communication which has helped in so many different ways – in interviews, sharing presentations, and generally being able to discuss ideas and opinions in a constructive manner.
"One of the proudest moments of my school career was representing Thurso High School in the finals of a national competition. I ended up achieving overall runner-up along with my debate partner, Kieran Johns.
"Although the impression people get from watching politics may put them off from trying debating, I would encourage everybody to give it a chance. The skills and qualities enhanced by attending debating impact so many aspects of your life, and the opportunity to engage with people from all over the country and all levels of society is invaluable.
"I owe so much to Mrs Wallace for offering her time and the opportunity to debate, both in school and around Scotland."
At the semi-final stage, teams are only given the motion an hour beforehand and are not allowed to do any research for their six-minute speeches, and just one of the four teams can progress to the final.
"Though Kyle and Ashleigh did a great job, Albyn School from Aberdeen were chosen as the winning team," Mrs Wallace said. "Short prep motions are a massive challenge, and I am very impressed with how confidently our pupils approach them.
"They had to propose the abolition of the Royal Family and put forward some compelling arguments, and dealt with points with enviable ease."
She added: "The debating trips this year have been an absolute pleasure for me. It is lovely to watch our pupils developing as debaters, socialising with peers and visiting other schools, and also to explore other parts of Scotland.
"This time we walked in the sunny and springlike grounds of Scone Palace after having a look round Perth.
"Ashleigh and Kyle have been a fantastic team and the school's debating club has a good number of pupils from both the junior and senior phases attending.
"We hope to have another friendly competition with Fortrose this year, run the Clarke Trophy competition [in memory of a former English teacher] and are trying to organise a teacher/pupil debate for Ashleigh and Kyle's last debate before they leave school. They will be much missed."