So as I said in a previous post (Debating Update!) I got through to the Final of the Leinster Schools Debating Competition which was held this Tuesday.
After an intense week of preparation I was really excited for the competition, and there was a lot of build up and anticipation throughout the week.
After a controversial change of venue, now held in UCD, the motion for debate was 'This House Believes That Dictatorships Are A Legitimate Form of Government', and Juliette and I were opposing.
After an extremely tight debate, the result was announced that CBC Monkstown was the winning team.
I really enjoyed the experience and was extremely happy with how far I had got, considering it was my first year in Senior Debating! It was a great night on all accounts.
This Thursday TY class Tabei was lucky enough to have a percussion workshop with Dave from 'Jabba Jabba Jembe'.
The workshop was on how to play djembe drums which originally come from West Africa.
We started off the day with basic techniques and rhythms and tried out more and more complex rhythms and patterns as the day went on.
Dave told us about how drummers explain rhythms by using sounds.
For example, one of the patterns we did sounds like 'Bah, bah, bah, biddi biddi,' and so on!
We learned about the origins of West African drumming, how it was used traditionally and how it is used today. We also watched a DVD on life in Africa and how it differs from life here in Ireland.
As a violinist and someone who relates very much to music, I really loved the workshop, and I hope I get another chance to try out djembe drumming and other styles, again!
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| Leinster Semi Finalists |
So as some of you may be aware, I am an active and competitive debater, and have been competing in many competitions this year, such as the Hist and the Phil Mace Debates held in Trinity College, Dublin, and also the Leinster Schools Debating Competition and the Aoife Begley Memorial Competition, which are prepared debating competitions.
Both prepared competitions involve several rounds over the course of the year with a week to prepare motions. As my partner and I continued progressing through rounds in both competitions, we found ourselves getting more and more pressured with rounds almost every week and sometimes overlapping. Sadly, because of this we decided to drop out of the Aoife Begley Competition.
We continued on with the Leinsters, and after reaching the Semi Finals on Monday, we are through to the finals!! This is a really big achievement for us, as 200 teams entered the competition, and only 4 make the final!
I'm extremely excited about this, so I will let you know how we get on!
Until next time,
Melissa :)
For the past three weeks, instead of doing conventional sports for P.E. class, the Transition Year students at St. Wolstan's were lucky enough to be taken to Excel Gymnastics for three 2 hour sessions!
Despite having tried most sports and activities as a child, I had never done gymnastics before, so I was really looking forward to trying it out!
Each week, our class got to try out different types of gymnastics, like artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and parkour.
We got to try vaulting, tumbling, cartwheeling, using the uneven bars and the beam. My favourite was probably vaulting, because although it was a little scary to start off, flipping and tumbling off the vault was really so much fun!
Here's a video of Jordyn Wieber, 2012 Olympic gymnast from the USA. Floor is one of the 5 apparatuses in Artistic Gymnastics.
I found myself gaining confidence each week, and I'm really glad that I threw myself into every activity, as it was such a unique opportunity!
If I had more time, I would probably take up gymnastics, and I would recommend anyone to take up gymnastics or something new! Challenge yourself! :)
Here's a song recommended by YouTuber Troye Sivan that I just can't stop listening to!
Enjoy!
