50p
The Bell Tolls for Brentwood Debate
Bells ring, and the parishioners gather in silence.
The faithful shuffle out of their quarters and slip into their place of worship. Adroitly, they seat themselves on upholstered benches and slide shut aluminum doors. The congregation pull out their prayer-books and strain to read in the dim, artificial light.
The shrine rumbles as the parish journeys to its spiritual destination. The pulpit is quiet today. Still, the pastor manages to steer the congregation, without words. They huddle over their texts and softly recite, hymns feathering the recirculating air. Platitudes of power, poise, and perspiration.
They have been preparing for this pilgrimage for weeks. Passages have been listed, vetted, selected. Words have been scribed, read aloud, committed to memory. The parish is undoubtedly ready, but still they toil.
It's 5:45 AM, and Brentwood Debate is hard at work.
Last Saturday, five Brentwood students--Liam K, Pascale B, Oliver M, Scott M, and Sara T - shirked their academic duties and travelled to Vancouver for a public speaking tournament. The students had drafted speeches and readings, each of five minutes in length, and had been preparing for weeks.
Scott discussed the foibles of sun tanning in Greenland. Liam spoke of being "chronically and dangerously stupid" at a young age.
The students also performed an interpretive reading--a short text read using strong emphasis and tone--as well as an improvised speech. The topics of these performances spanned the diverse fields of immigration policy, insurance advertising, detective work, philosophical law, and transcontinental travel, but shared the common threads of excellent delivery and insight.
The event itself was well-managed and went off smoothly. Collingwood School was a gracious host. Students from many other schools took part in the event, and Brentwood faced stiff competition from the likes of Belmont, Collingwood, West Point Grey Academy and a dozen other mainland schools.
After the event, students indulged, albeit briefly, in the luxuries of Vancouver--eating at a sushi restaurant and sampling fudge at the ferry terminal. Aboard the ferry itself, the students, ever resourceful, saw to their own entertainment; a showing of Lord of the Rings was attended inside the Brentwood van. The students returned, safe and sound, to Brentwood late Saturday night.
Ask any of us who attended the tournament, and they'll describe something much more electrifying than a typical Saturday in Mill Bay. Brentwood Debate proudly celebrates an exciting venture into the world of public speaking.
The faithful shuffle out of their quarters and slip into their place of worship. Adroitly, they seat themselves on upholstered benches and slide shut aluminum doors. The congregation pull out their prayer-books and strain to read in the dim, artificial light.
The shrine rumbles as the parish journeys to its spiritual destination. The pulpit is quiet today. Still, the pastor manages to steer the congregation, without words. They huddle over their texts and softly recite, hymns feathering the recirculating air. Platitudes of power, poise, and perspiration.
They have been preparing for this pilgrimage for weeks. Passages have been listed, vetted, selected. Words have been scribed, read aloud, committed to memory. The parish is undoubtedly ready, but still they toil.
It's 5:45 AM, and Brentwood Debate is hard at work.
Last Saturday, five Brentwood students--Liam K, Pascale B, Oliver M, Scott M, and Sara T - shirked their academic duties and travelled to Vancouver for a public speaking tournament. The students had drafted speeches and readings, each of five minutes in length, and had been preparing for weeks.
Scott discussed the foibles of sun tanning in Greenland. Liam spoke of being "chronically and dangerously stupid" at a young age.
The students also performed an interpretive reading--a short text read using strong emphasis and tone--as well as an improvised speech. The topics of these performances spanned the diverse fields of immigration policy, insurance advertising, detective work, philosophical law, and transcontinental travel, but shared the common threads of excellent delivery and insight.
The event itself was well-managed and went off smoothly. Collingwood School was a gracious host. Students from many other schools took part in the event, and Brentwood faced stiff competition from the likes of Belmont, Collingwood, West Point Grey Academy and a dozen other mainland schools.
After the event, students indulged, albeit briefly, in the luxuries of Vancouver--eating at a sushi restaurant and sampling fudge at the ferry terminal. Aboard the ferry itself, the students, ever resourceful, saw to their own entertainment; a showing of Lord of the Rings was attended inside the Brentwood van. The students returned, safe and sound, to Brentwood late Saturday night.
Ask any of us who attended the tournament, and they'll describe something much more electrifying than a typical Saturday in Mill Bay. Brentwood Debate proudly celebrates an exciting venture into the world of public speaking.