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I can confidently say that Debate and Model UN has been the most omni-applicable course I have ever taken. Just when we thought we had learned everything there is to learn about argumentation and effective articulation, the program found another way to keep us on our toes: Mock Trial. Now, as our final project of the year, we are taking our skills...

Where else in the world can you hear a satire of teen culture, a story of a middle school boy sneaking chocolate into summer camp like contraband, and an eloquent explanation of the ramifications of adult actors playing teenagers in media, all in the same place? This is why I love speech competitions. Specifically, the Hector MacIntosh...

Over Spring Break a group of twelve students, accompanied by Mr. Bryant and Ms. Steele-MacInnis, had the opportunity to go to Madrid to compete and participate in the 39th annual Harvard Model Congress Europe. An event founded in 1987, Harvard Model Congress Europe (HMCE) is a government simulation conference run exclusively by undergraduates at...

Interhouse events are a way for our students to compete against their classmates and friends in a wide variety of different competitions, from soccer to rowing, acapella to impromptu speeches. Interhouse events cover so many different categories which makes it possible for everyone to have a chance at competing. Impromptu speeches took place in...

“Oh, you debate? What do you debate about?” It’s the question I have heard more times than I can count. I have come to expect it the same way I know I will be informed how much I’ve grown every time I meet one of my mum’s old friends. But the problem with this particular piece of small talk, is that there really is no answer. Unfortunately, I...

Last month the team of Amelia H, Allard ‘20 and Jaylyn B, Allard ‘20 won the BC Provincial Debate Championship. This remarkable accomplishment got Brian Carr reflecting on the storied history of debate at Brentwood. The first formal year of debating at Brentwood was in 1970. Below is the report from the yearbook written by Grade 11 student,...

The following is a letter from Brentwood Alumni Wade Davis (Class of 1971), former Explorer in Residence at the National Geographic Society, a Member of the Order of Canada, Professor of Anthropology and the BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia and author of 23 books. Wade and his debate...

While I was going through my numerous university applications and alumni interviews, the one question that I was asked the most was “What is one thing you are passionate about?” While some people might find that question challenging to answer, it was a very easy question for me. Every time I was asked that question, I did not hesitate to say,...

In early December, a group of Brentwood students went to Vancouver to participate in Connect Model United Nations. After preparing for weeks, we were all varying degrees of excited and nervous to delivery our points. From a security council on the topic of the Korean peninsula, to a committee on international lawmaking, and everything in between,...

Sitting in a small Greek restaurant in West Vancouver, with a group of six high school students, I realized how widespread the popularity of Debate and Public Speaking has spread. As we ate our hummus and pita, the waitress asked us what had brought us there. We told her about how we were in Vancouver for public speaking provincials. We expected a...