Debate Team Competes in Public Speaking Competition at Kingswood Oxford School

On Sunday, January 29, 2023, 4 members of the St. Sebastian's Debate Team participated in the Kingswood Oxford School Public Speaking Competition. 

Competitors were required to participate in three categories of public speaking: Interpretive Reading, Persuasive or After Dinner Speaking, and Impromptu Speaking or Ethical Dilemmas. Our Team consisted of Eddie Ryan '23, Jonathan Demosthene '24, Ben Goffredo '24, and Andrew MacDougall '27.

Congratulations to Eddie Ryan who won 2nd Place in the Interpretive Reading Competition. In this event, speakers read a passage of prose or poetry, serious or humorous, and of literary merit. 

Speakers are judged on the following criteria: quality and helpfulness of the introduction, overcoming the manuscript, understanding of the selection, pace and timing, enunciation and clarity of expression, voice melody and rhythm, and overall appeal to the audience. 

44 Advanced Debaters from 10 Independent Schools competed in the Tournament:

• Buckingham, Browne and Nichols School
• Deerfield Academy 
• Hotchkiss School
• Kingswood Oxford School
• Loomis Chaffee School
• Northfield Mount Hermon School
• Stoneleigh Burnham School
• St. Sebastian's School
• Roxbury Latin School
• Winsor School