Inter-House Philosothon

Our Inter-House Philosothon took place earlier this week and it was exciting to see over seventy students, as well as a number of staff members, taking part in discussions ranging from the role of Artificial Intelligence and whether science and religion are friends or enemies, to the role of the media and the decisions of the Sussex Royals. The event is all about learning to express opinions with openness and respect, collaborating with others in building a stronger understanding of an issue, listening carefully and taking the time to understand others, thinking creatively and developing skills that will be useful throughout life. 

 

We were privileged to welcome six judges for the competition. The wisdom, experience and insight of Rev Hutch, Mrs Pringle, Mrs Robinson, Mr Andrew Wishart (Headmaster of Freshford School), Mrs Katie Scotland (Professional Coach and Director of Future Me Consulting) and the Rev Shawn Swinney (Vicar of Holy Trinity Combe Down) added much to the evening.

 

At the end of the night, medals were awarded for the Best Senior Philosopher (won by Bora Bayram), Best Junior Philosopher (Tabi Waddington), Leadership (Tilly Jardine & Lucy McIlroy), Creative Thinking (Stan Sertin), Active Listening (Amelia Burgess) and Best Adult Philosopher (Mrs Abi Blair). Overall, Clarendon walked away with the trophy for the Junior competition, and Farm retained the Senior Trophy for another year. However, the focus of the evening was much more on the teamwork, the ideas and the skills being developed. One of the judges wrote afterwards, "I was deeply impressed by the compassion, reason and articulacy evidenced by the students in my circle" and I think this is the exciting thing about an evening like this one.