As a BISS Pudong Global Classroom Ambassador, this year Alina has focused mainly on debating, but has also participated in competitions, including the Rag Trade competition where she and other BISS Pudong students had to design clothing from plastic bags.
A huge challenge for Alina and the BISS Pudong debating team came in the finals of the Global Classroom debating competition where their group, which included five Year 7 students, came up against Year 12 students from The British International School Bratislava to debate the topic “To radically expand the human lifespan should be welcomed and not feared.”
The online format is different from a traditional debate, but fiercely fought. Alina explains, “We record our opening statements and then our supporting arguments and the closing statements are posted online over a period of a week. For the Grand Final we spent five hours on the last day trying to post as much as we could.” The team was runner-up, but gained invaluable experience along the way.
Alina came to Shanghai from America where she was a member of her school’s debating team which travelled to debate. Of the Global Classroom she says, “Having the debating competition in the Global Classroom is a way to keep my debating skills strong.”
Alina, who usually spends about two hours each week on the Global Classroom, plans to continue her strong participation next year saying, “It’s a really good way to communicate with kids in other schools without having to meet face-to-face.”
Congratulations Alina!