September 25, 2009
Dear Fellow Debaters:
The St. Sebastian’s Debate Team cordially invites you to participate in our fourth NOVICE (Grades 7-9) Parliamentary Extemporaneous Debate Tournament on Sunday, October 25, 2009. The tournament will consist of three rounds of Parliamentary debate. Each school may register one or two four-person novice teams (teams should include a judge as well; St. Sebastian’s will not provide judges). Schools may register by mailing or faxing the enclosed form or by e-mail to: michael_nerbonne@stsebs.org. Please respond by October 16. Fees for the debate are $60 per team and $15 per observer. Checks should be made payable to St. Sebastian’s School. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us at 781-247-0156. We also request that you call us at 781-247-0156 on the morning of the tournament, between the hours of 8:00 and 10:00, to report any changes in your final registration.
The maximum length and order of speeches are as follows:
| Prime Minister | 5 minutes |
| First Opposition Speaker | 8 minutes |
| Minister of the Crown | 8 minutes |
| Leader of the Opposition | 8 minutes |
| Prime Minister’s Rebuttal | 3 minutes |
A 30-second grace period will be allowed for each debater, after which the speech will be terminated. The government will be given 5 minutes to propose a resolution, followed by a 10-minute preparation time for both teams.
Directions, registration form, guidelines and schedule are linked from the right column.We look forward to seeing you on October 25, and want to express our appreciation for your participation.
Debate Coach