Due to the exponential surge in Covid-19 infections, face-to-face classes have been suspended across the entirety of Hong Kong. Following this change, CAS clubs have inevitably been moved online. But how have they adapted to these circumstances? To gain a deeper insight into how CAS clubs are now being run, we interviewed the English Debating Society and the World Scholar’s Cup club, two student organisations that have both been affected by the pandemic.
The English Debating Society
The EDS (English Debating Society) is a student-led CAS activity that is open to all students from years 7 to 12. “It is a great opportunity for students to learn public speaking skills, develop higher-order and critical thinking skills, and participate in competitions,” explains Ms. Tengvall, the club’s supervisor. Furthermore, she adds, “students make good friendships and become knowledgeable on a whole range of debatable issues”.
Under normal circumstances, the EDS would hold meetings on Wednesdays afterschool. As for specific activities, Ms Tengvall says, “we alternate by doing a student-led workshop and motion analysis one week and then debate against each other the following week. We also have teams competing in different competitions such as the junior inter-ESF debate competition, the Hong Kong Secondary Schools Debating Competition, and Senior SDC. Even online, the club has stuck with its usual rotation of workshops and practice debates, as well as continuing with external debate competitions over Zoom.
The main challenge for the EDS? Lack of engagement, without a doubt. “It can be hard to continue staring at a computer screen after a long day of school, and communication can be a bit difficult without being able to speak in person,” Ms. Tengvall recognises. "It took a little time to adjust, but we have been able to develop a good routine. Our student leaders send out emails with the link each week and keen members join in regularly.”
She also mentions that the English Debating Society is interested in organising debate competitions within the school to increase interest and involvement in debate.
World Scholar’s Cup
The World Scholar’s Cup is a global debate and trivia competition that KGV competes in every year. To learn more about how online school is affecting the school’s preparations, we interviewed Ran, one of the student leaders at WSC Club.
“Since online school started, we’ve been running debates over Zoom twice a week,” says Ran. “Teams that wish to practice debating sign up on days that they are available on, and we pair them each week with a different team to debate against.” These practice sessions are invaluable to the club, as teamwork is an essential element of WSC: three out of four of its main events are heavily reliant on team collaboration.
So what has been the biggest challenge for the WSC team? “Online learning has definitely affected our practice sessions. It’s a little difficult coordinating so many people without seeing them face-to-face, and last minute-issues such as teams that don’t show up or that we forget to pair up are definitely harder to deal with online,” Ran reflects, “but everyone is really patient and enthusiastic, so we’ve had a lot of great sessions!”
The past two years, the Hong Kong regional round was cancelled due to the pandemic. Ran, along with the World Scholar’s Cup team, expresses hope for the competition to be held this year, especially as “everyone’s been working so hard, and for senior school teams, this year might be the last time that we can experience the full competition.” However in the unfortunate case that the first round does get cancelled, Ran adds that they will definitely be hosting mini WSC competition within KGV.
The World Scholar’s Cup and the English Debating Society are only two of the several activities ongoing amidst school closure. Despite the unavoidable restrictions and obstacles that come along with this, your interest in these activities as students are what make them what they are. If you haven’t, consider signing up for activities that pique your interest in Term 3. Who knows, you might end up discovering an interest you never imagined you’d have.
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