The final debates of the first round of the QDU Toowoomba competition were held last week.

The Year 7's had a win over Fairholme College in their first ever debate, and Year 9's went down to Assumption College in challenging circumstances, showing great resilience.

We live in a world where we communicate with others all the time. Debating is a more formal way of communicating. It builds confidence and self-esteem, and develops critical thinking and reasoning skills. If we can speak publicly and convey our ideas and thoughts coherently, we have a valuable tool that can aid us in our public, private and future lives. Debating is different to public speaking because it includes rebuttal; proving that the opposition has arguments that are wrong.

Both teams had fun and learned new and important skills.