Winsor Debaters Head to Vancouver for Internationals

Emily Zhang ’25

Winsor debaters Emily Zhang ’25, Caroline Bae ’24, and Yuyuan Huang ’24 (pictured left to right) took top honors at the prestigious International Independent Schools Public Speaking Competition (IISPSC), held in Vancouver, Canada, October 19–22, 2023. Over a hundred students attended the tournament from India, Canada, Bermuda, Hong Kong, and the United States.

This year’s Winsor team was selected by audition and they spent the summer preparing for the competition with longtime Speech and Debate Coach Jean Berg. Students competed in two rounds in each of their three chosen categories, including Persuasive Speaking, Impromptu Speaking, Parliamentary Debate, and Interpretive Reading.

Senior Caroline Bae ’24 finished her second appearance at Internationals in 11th place overall. At last year’s IISPSC, Caroline finished as the Top U.S. Speaker, second Overall Speaker, and the International Champion of Persuasive Speaking. This year, she was an Interpretive Reading finalist, after finishing first out of 58 competitors in the preliminary rounds.

Senior Yuyuan Huang ’24 competed in Persuasive Speaking, Parliamentary Debate, and Interpretive Reading. Yuyuan delivered her persuasive speech on the dangers of factory farming. For parliamentary debate, students are paired with a partner from a different school, and given 30 minutes to prepare robust arguments in support of or against the resolution.

Junior Emily Zhang ’25 was named the International Champion of Impromptu Speaking and finished in eighth place overall. After making finals in Impromptu Speaking and Interpretive Reading, the two largest categories, Emily qualified for the World Individual Public Speaking and Debating Championships (WIDPSC) to be held next April in Canberra, Australia.

Coaches Ned Henningsen and Jean Berg praised the dedication of the students, and the intelligence and talent that enabled them to perform and relish the experience. To quote the girls, “It was an awesome experience—challenging, exhausting, rewarding…and amazing fun. We could not have done it without the support of our coaches, parents, and teammates.”

Caroline, Yuyuan and Emily follow a long line of Winsor debaters who have competed at International and World competitions in Argentina, Botswana, Lithuania, Australia, South Africa, Cyprus, London, the US, Canada, and more.

We are so proud of this year’s terrific team—congratulations Caroline, Yuyuan, and Emily!