Turkish Debate Tournament at TAC
Tarsus American College hosted the TAC Debate Tournament on March 15, 2017 under the leadership of the Turkish Debate Club.
The tournament, which saw participation from Mersin Final Okulları, Mersin Bahçeşehir College, Tarsus Kampüs College, and TAC and was full of fun as well as competition. In the elimination rounds, the groups matched by a lottery (TAC vs Mersin Final Okulları, Mersin Bahçeşehir College vs Tarsus Campus College) were given sides to the argument “Organ sales should not be restricted”. The first round saw stiff competition. The schools which made it to the final round were Tarsus American College and Tarsus Kampüs College. The argument at this round was, “Instead of opening new universities, the government should improve the existing ones”. The audience held its breath as they heard the presentations from each side to determine the winner, which the jury decided to be Tarsus American College. Also, our grade 12 student, Firdevs İnci Alpay, was selected as the “Best Speaker”, while Yalkın Aksan from Mersin Final Okulları was selected as the “Most Promising Speaker”. At the end of the event, the participating teachers and students were presented with certificates in a ceremony.
As the event ended, there were smiles of satisfaction on everyone’s face. Each of the guest school’s teachers and students thanked us for making them feel at home, for the professional level of organization, and for our contribution in making this a traditional event. Students also came to the conclusion, at the photo-shooting session, that “debate is a wonderful way for making great friendships!” This realization has already formed the foundation for next year’s tournament.
Tarsus American College thanks Debate Club teachers, Mr. Niyazi Pavlaz and Ms. Tuba Karabağ, the Turkish Literature Department, our Activity Coordinator, Mrs. Gülay Damar, student members of the club, Mr. Eray Varol, jury member and guidance counselor at Tarsus SEV Elementary Schools, as well as all administrators and teachers who supported us. We also thank the guest schools for their enthusiastic participation.