Debate! Debate!

On the second Friday of term 3 I did something I've always wanted to do; gave a speech to an assembly. For a while now I've wanted to do this, to see if I could do it. The school auditorium was basically full, so that's about 400 people. 800 eyes looking at me, listening to me- what's not to like?

When I first heard about this debate, I was psyched. I even thought up the moot. It was all downhill from there. People were pulling out and not showing up; I was certain it was going to be a disaster. I even, uncharacteristically, tried to pull out; the last thing I wanted to do was make a fool of myself in front of hundreds of people. Miss Hawkes encouraged us, however, and, afterwards, thanked us profusely. Turns out the TravelWise assembly had required a debate, or she had promised one or something. All's well that ends well, right?

The moot was: students living within a 2km radius of the school have to walk or cycle to and from the grounds on a daily basis.
I was in support of this idea, and was first speaker of the affirmative team.

My speech wasn't the exemplar of debating perfection, but I think it at least sounded good. My criticism is that it was too narrow; I focused on just one point, and even though I discussed it in detail, it was not a major part of our argument for this idea. I think now that it should have been mentioned it in passing, then briefly elaborated (if that makes sense) and that I should have focused on more relative issues (as in relative to youth)
I did write most of it the night before, so cut me some slack.

Anyway. You might be wondering what I was talking about in the previous paragraph. I focused on, surprise surprise, pollution. You know, how the air pollution caused by cars is damaging the environment, and of course I mentioned global warming. You can probably see now what I mean. This subject was more of a bonus than a major issue to this topic- not something a whole speech should be related to.
Most of these doubts probably stem from the fact that the council members smiled and nodded their heads appreciatively and approvingly while my partner Seamus spoke, but didn't for me.
Yeah, we had two on two debate.
The other team was Tania and Gabrielle.
This debate wasn't marked, but I think that we would have won, solely based on the fact that the other two were less confident.

Confident, you say? Of course. When I first heard (an hour before the debate) that we would be speaking in front of the year 7 and 8 assembly, as well as the deputy mayor, I got nervous, and freaked out. When I walked into the auditorium, I got a few butterflies, but when I got on the stage, I didn't feel nervous at all. I'm serious, I felt utterly normal and at ease. It was such a pleasant surprise!

I think I gave quite a good delivery, and now I am looking forward to doing it better the next time.
I'm not going to bore you with the whole speech, so keep reading, but I am going to type up a paragraph or two.

Just a few chemicals car exhaust fumes contain are carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and benzene. These substances have been shown to produce affects on blood and bone marrow, These chemicals are in the air you breathe, and your blood can carry more than just oxygen. How do you feel to know that those chemicals may very well be inside you right now, interfering with red blood cell formation and shortening the life span of the cells of which you are made?

It's simple; it's obvious: reduced driving= reduced emissions. Making students walk of cycle to school is a way we can do our part to protect environment, and our own health. 2km is a short distance and can be easily traversed in 20 minutes, at a leisurely pace.
Every little bit counts,and an action such as this would make a good contribution, as well as setting a positive example and upholding our reputation of being oh-so clean and green. I hope you are aware of the damage car emissions are doing to the environment and our health, but also understand the small actions needed to target this problem. Students living within a 2km radius of their school should walk or cycle there, and I trust you now see why.

So, what do you think? Pretty snazzy, huh?