Pupils debate town curfew to reduce trouble
Wednesday, 19th May 2010.
Potential politicians of the future gave a fine display of their debating skills in a special event at Samuel Ward College of Arts and Technology this morning.
Pupils from Parkway and Chalkstone middle schools, who will soon be moving up to Samuel Ward, joined some of the colleges pupils in a debate about a curfew on youngsters in the town.
The motion was: This house believes there should be a curfew in Haverhill from 9pm to 7am on all aged 16 or under.
Hardly surprisingly, the packed audience in the college's drama studio, made up mostly from Parkway and Chalkstone students, were not generally in favour of the motion before them.
Six students lined up on each side - for and against - and had up to two minutes to make their points, before they were open to questions from their opponents and from the floor.
Debate did manage to sway a few in the audience, as it began with only three in favour, and ended with 19 supporters.
The speakers dealt with a variety of angles on the idea - the improvement to safety in the community, the difficulty of enforcement, the benefit to rebuilding family life, the need for parents to take responsibility for their children, the dangers of an isolated existence in the home, inactivity leading to poor health, teenagers defacing the environment, reduction in social disorder, easier conditions for police to work in, unfairness of the majority suffering for the misdeeds of the minority, and even a suggestion that adults should be subject to a curfew instead.
After a slow start, a healthy debate built up, with many incisive questions from the floor as well as those debating.
Afterwards, the debate's chairman, Samuel Ward head of drama Peter Hedge, said he was impressed with the level of debate and the way the students had taken part.
Pupils from Parkway and Chalkstone middle schools, who will soon be moving up to Samuel Ward, joined some of the colleges pupils in a debate about a curfew on youngsters in the town.
The motion was: This house believes there should be a curfew in Haverhill from 9pm to 7am on all aged 16 or under.
Hardly surprisingly, the packed audience in the college's drama studio, made up mostly from Parkway and Chalkstone students, were not generally in favour of the motion before them.
Six students lined up on each side - for and against - and had up to two minutes to make their points, before they were open to questions from their opponents and from the floor.
Debate did manage to sway a few in the audience, as it began with only three in favour, and ended with 19 supporters.
The speakers dealt with a variety of angles on the idea - the improvement to safety in the community, the difficulty of enforcement, the benefit to rebuilding family life, the need for parents to take responsibility for their children, the dangers of an isolated existence in the home, inactivity leading to poor health, teenagers defacing the environment, reduction in social disorder, easier conditions for police to work in, unfairness of the majority suffering for the misdeeds of the minority, and even a suggestion that adults should be subject to a curfew instead.
After a slow start, a healthy debate built up, with many incisive questions from the floor as well as those debating.
Afterwards, the debate's chairman, Samuel Ward head of drama Peter Hedge, said he was impressed with the level of debate and the way the students had taken part.
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