The Country Day School - CDS Debating and Public Speaking - A Co-ED, JK-12, Independent Day School in the Greater Toronto Area

Students at CDS can begin debating in Grade 7 and enjoy an increasing number of opportunities to compete through Grade 12. By learning the art of debate, students build confidence, develop critical thinking and communication skills, and acquire a wider understanding of current and historical events.

The Debating & Public Speaking Club’s ongoing success over the past nine years has contributed to its growth and popularity as more experienced Senior School students are keen to mentor younger students and help contribute to their skill development.

The Club at CDS has experienced another banner year competing on the world stage. Veteran Debating Coach, Kerstin Wyndham-West, has facilitated this club for more than 20 years and is extremely well respected among her colleagues and students worldwide.

Latest Debating News

List of 5 news stories.

CDS Debater Wins Worlds for Third Time in Four Years

CDS made history on Tuesday at the World Independent Debating and Public Speaking Championships (WIDPSC) held at Branksome Hall in Toronto this past week. Not only did our veteran coach Ms. Kerstin Wyndham-Westbring three students for the first time in her 12 years of qualifying CDS students, but one of our own won the World Championship once again.
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CDS Qualifies Three Debaters for Worlds

For the 12^th consecutive year, The Country Day School has qualified a debater for the World Championships held this year from April 11-17 at Branksome Hall in Toronto. There will be 14 students representing Canada, and for the first time three students will be from CDS.
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CDS To Host One Week of Debate Camp: June 17-22

This year, we are excited to announce an amazing opportunity for students in Grades 5-10 to take part in Debate Camp 2019, Canada’s public speaking and debating camp at CDS from June 17-22, 2019. This prestigious program, with space for 40 students, is offered for one week only. The directors of the camp are experts in their field, and students work in small groups with highly experienced counsellors.
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CDS Debating Team Places 1st at Internationals

For the second year in a row, the three-person CDS Debating team finished first overall at the International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Competition (IISPSC) hosted by St. Clement’s School in Toronto last weekend. In total, 167 students representing 47 teams from 7 countries participated at the annual IISPSC this year.
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Grade 8 Student Excels at Junior Nationals

Congratulations to Grade 8 student, Arjun Walia, for his outstanding performance at the Canadian National Junior High Public Speaking Championships held at West Point Grey Academy in Vancouver last weekend. His Top 18 finish was remarkable, as the majority of students competing were in Grade 9.

Arjun's Persuasive Speech on the dangers of the over-prescription of antibiotics was particularly well received and achieved fifth place. Thank you to his debating coach, Ms. Sagalina Doré, for accompanying him to the event.

This is an impressive feat for a Grade 8 student and we are immensely proud of Arjun's accomplishment!

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Student Testimonial

List of 1 news stories.

Kerstin Wyndham-West, Debating Coach

Kerstin Wyndham-West was born and raised in London, England, and she graduated in 1990 with an MA (Hons) from Hertford College, Oxford University, in Philosophy and Modern Languages. She then spent several years teaching English at the Gymnasium Oberalster in Hamburg, Germany.
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Competitions

List of 5 items.

Canadian National Junior High Public Speaking Championships

Canadian National Junior High Public Speaking Championships was intended to offer junior high students an opportunity to showcase their public speaking talents. Based on the same events that exist at the Senior High Speech Nationals, this tournament welcomes students from all provinces with active debate and speech associations.
Fulford Debate

CDS is a member of the Fulford League, a group of independent schools that compete in several tournaments to earn the Fulford Cup at the end of the year.
www.fulforddebate.com
International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Competition

The International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Competition gathers more than 150 high school students from countries across the world to compete for a chance to qualify for the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championship held every spring.
Ontario Student Debating Union

Ontario Student Debating Union is a charitable organization that hosts and promotes competitive debate for Ontario students up to Grade 12. OSDU organizes a Provincial Championship every spring as well as a variety of regional debates and workshops. It also works with the Canadian Student Debating Federation and helps select students to represent Ontario at national and international debating events.
WIDPSC – World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Competition

World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championship is an annual international English language debating and public speaking tournament for individual high school-level students representing different countries.

CDS World Qualifiers

CDS Students to qualify for Worlds in the past nine years:

2017	Olivia Railton '17 and Maeve Tebbutt '19 - Vancouver, BC
2016	Natalie Ganzhorn ’16 and Olivia Railton ’17 - Pittsburgh, PA
2015	Natalie Ganzhorn ’16 and Olivia Railton ’17 - Hong Kong, China
2014	Natalie Ganzhorn ’16 - Druskininkai, Lithuania
2013	Natalie Ganzhorn ’16 - Durban, South Africa
2012	Reid Dobell ’12 - Brisbane, Australia
2011	Lucas Regazzi ’12 - Brisbane, Australia
2010	Victoria Sienczewski ’12 - Druskininkai, Lithuania
2009	Genevieve Laurier ’09 and Rachael Andrew ’09 - Reading, U.K.
2008	Genevieve Laurier ’09 - Winnenden, Germany

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