ICYD Finals Day
Two Year Ten RGS pupils, Sasha Penlington and Hannah Agoston competed in the International Competition for Young Debaters (ICYD) Finals Day at the Cambridge Union and placed 8th out of 56 teams. Not only did they do incredibly well, but they were also only prevented from breaking the semi-finals by speaker points. This is the highest that RGS has ever placed in this competition, making this an outstanding achievement.
A special thank you goes to Teacher of English and Head of Year, Mr Richard Hawking, who has trained and prepared the pupils throughout Years Nine and Ten and accompanied them to Cambridge University for the Finals.
Upper Sixth student, Isaac McManus, also deserves recognition for his invaluable contributions to Middle School Debating throughout the year. Isaac has worked closely with Sasha, Hannah, and the other Middle School debaters, providing them with guidance and helping to hone their Debating skills.
It is no easy feat to be able to compete in a high-pressure environment like the ICYD Finals Day, and the fact that Sasha and Hannah did so well is a testament to their hard work and dedication. Congratulations to both of them for this incredible achievement! We are proud of all of our pupils who participated in the competition, and we would like to extend our gratitude to everyone who has supported and encouraged them.
![cropped-cambridge-union2 cropped-cambridge-union2](https://www.rgsw.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cropped-cambridge-union2.jpg)