On the 19th and 20th of November, the Colegio Arcángel Rafael in Madrid hosted the I Tournament of the VI Bilingual Pre-University Debate League. This league is organised by CICAE and Camilo José Cela University.

The students representing the Colegio Europeo de Madrid won the first prize in the Spanish debate category, without having lost any of the 7 debates during the tournament. In addition, one of the CEM students was voted best speaker of the tournament.

“Winning a national tournament with so many schools participating and at such a high level is something wonderful”, says Gloria Muñoz, CEM’s Debate teacher who accompanied the students during the tournament.

This sixth edition is considered the largest in Europe due to the volume of participation, with a total of 33 schools and around 350 students from 3rd ESO to 2nd Baccalaureate participating.

At CEM, the subject of debate is becoming increasingly important, but it is a team effort. For this reason, Gloria also wants to recognise all the work of the teachers. “If these kids know how to debate well, it is because of the knowledge base that all their teachers give them so that they know how to do it well when they are older,” adds Gloria.

“Was the West’s decision to leave Afghanistan militarily the right one? This question was the focus of the debates, and the students had to develop their arguments both for and against. The students have been preparing for months, and at the same time, the debate practice fosters and consolidates both the students’ critical thinking and communication skills.

The opening ceremony was led by Mr. Antonio Fabregat, one of the best communicators and world champion of debate in English. The event was also attended by Mr. Ángel de la Vega, member of CICAE, Mr. Luis García, Managing Director of the 3A group of schools, and as an exceptional ambassador, Mr. José Antonio López Guerrero, professor of microbiology, researcher and Director of scientific culture at the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Centre.

All of them highlighted the importance of holding initiatives such as this Debate League, which boosts students’ ability to face the educational challenges of today’s society.

The members of the Ulysses team from the European School of Madrid are:

– Daniel Medina Esquinas
– Rodrigo Diéguez Novo
– Sofía Bigotti Prieto
– Blanca Reviriego Hidalgo de Cisneros

This was the result of the League:

1. Colegio Europeo de Madrid (Spanish on-site)
2. Colegio Salliver (Spanish online)
3. Colegio Peleteiro (English presential)
4. Swans Schools (English online)