Sponsored by Shandong High School Association and Taiwan Association of Chinese Secondary Education, 2014 Debate of High School Students Across Taiwan Strait was held in Zaozhuang，Shandong Province from 31^stJuly to 3^rdAugust. 23 teams from Taiwan, Shanghai, and Shandong participated in the debate. After two days of intense debate competition, debate team of High School Attached to Shandong Normal University (AHS), led by two teachers Xu Jianping and Ding Xiufeng, won the third place with excellent performance. Shilin Haohan was entitled "the Best Debater", and Xu Jianping "the Best Tutor".

Under the guidance of Xu Jianping, 9 members of the debate team trained hard and made preparations for one month shortly after the final exam of last term. The team includes Yu Huiling and Shilin Haohan from Class 25 Grade 2012, Lin Yu Cong from Class 26 Grade 2012, Dou Kaiyao from Class 30 Grade 2012, together with Zhang Yong, Liu Xuecong, Zhang Yufei, Pang Tianze, Sun Bohao from Class 11 Grade 2013. Members of the team discussed, shared opinions and focused on every detail of the meaning of the key words in the debate, the argument, the thinking framework, and the logical deduction, which laid firm basis for their excellent performance in the debate.

During the two days of competition, the clear logic, quick wits and free response of AHS debaters entitled them to refute effectively viewpoints of the opponents and elaborate powerfully the ones of their own, which showed wonderful expressing and critical thinking ability of AHS students. Their excellent performance won them appreciation and applause from judges and the audience.

During the first stage, AHS debate team beat the ones of Jining Yucai High School and Taiwan Jingmei High School with the score of 784:764 and 792:778 respectively, ranking the first place to enter the next stage; while in the second stage, the team won the two matches against Taiwan Chenggong High School with the final total score of 1593:1552, becoming one of the two teams from the Mainland qualifying the semi-final. The team debated the one of No. 3 High School of Zaozhuang in the semi-final. Though the members showed their talent and debated wonderfully and skillfully, they suffered a narrow defeat with 822:829 and ended their debate journey with the third place.

As a judge of this competition recommended by AHS, Ding Xiufeng participated in the judging work of 8 debates and commented on two of them. His wonderful comments won praise from the jury and the audience, which demonstrated the profound interpretation of the theme of the debate and the achievement of debate activities of the school.

Dou Kaiyao and Zhang Yufei, two students of AHS, sang the songRuby,whose theme fits appropriately the one of the debate, at the“Share One Dream”recreational party. Their beautiful tone and mutual cooperation won warm response from the audience to reach the climax of the party.

During the debate, more than 180 teachers and students from different regions exchanged opinions, made friends and gained a lot. The experience won them growth of knowledge, training of debating skills and precious friendship. AHS expressed their wish to achieve more in the process of debating inheritance and renewal.

Written by Xu Jianping

Edited by Zhu Yujun

Translated by Liu Wei

Revised by Gu Yanbing

Web editor Yanghua