The Elmore Stoutt High School won the 2025 Inter-Secondary Schools Debate Competition. Photo: Facebook

The Virgin Islands School of Technical Studies placed second at the finals of the 2025 Inter-Secondary Schools Debate Competition. Photo: Facebook

Miss Syeisha Keith of the Elmore Stoutt High School was named Best Speaker of the finals and the Overall Best Speaker of the 2025 Inter-Secondary School Debate Competition. Photo: Facebook

The 2025 Impromptu Speech Competition was won by the St. George’s Secondary School. Photo: Facebook

The final debate was held at the New Testament Church of God International Worship Centre’s Activity Hall in Baughers Bay, where the teams debated the Moot: Compared to traditional schooling, a S.T.E.A.M focused education system better prepares students for the future.

ESHS, which also won the 2024 edition of the Inter-Secondary Schools Debate Competition, was the opposition team while VISTS was the proposing team.

Miss Syeisha Keith of ESHS was named Best Speaker of the finals and the Overall Best Speaker of the competition. Miss Ellianna Forbes from VISTS was the second-best speaker at the finals.

‘This debate was an interesting debate’- Chief Adjudicator Crabbe-Adams

Chief Adjudicator Kimberly Crabbe-Adams described the debate as “interesting”.

“This debate was a close debate,” she said, adding, that the rebuttal of the moot guaranteed the victory for ESHS.

“Losing a rebuttal will cost you a debate and that is what happened,” Mrs Crabbe-Adams added.

The Bregado Flax Educational Centre Secondary, Claudia Creque Educational Centre, and St George’s Secondary Schools competed in the preliminary rounds.

Impromptu Speech

Meanwhile, the Impromptu Speech competition was also on Wednesday, with St George’s Secondary School copping the top prize. Second place went to VISTS.

Other participating students were from Bregado Flax Educational Centre, ESHS, and Claudia Creque Educational Centre.