Mayor’s Debate Competition, Broxbourne Council Offices, 19 November 2025

Year 9 Impress at Broxbourne Mayoral Debate

Last night, four of our talented Year 9 students represented St Mary’s High School at the annual Broxbourne Council Mayoral Debate. The event brought together teams from six local secondary schools, each tasked with tackling a topical issue affecting Broxbourne and Hertfordshire.

This year’s motion was: “Big is Beautiful – There are more opportunities to benefit Broxbourne residents by being part of a larger organisation.”

Our team – Itohan, Rhys, Nouvelle, and Michaela – confidently argued in favour of the motion, delivering a well-researched, engaging and articulate presentation. Their 10-minute talk, supported by a PowerPoint and a polished Q&A session, impressed both the audience and the panel of judges, which included local councillors and our Mayor, Cllr Patsy Spears.

The students also had the opportunity to meet and chat with the Youth Mayor, gaining valuable insight into local politics and civic engagement. Despite strong competition, our team handled challenging questions with professionalism and poise, demonstrating true debating skill and teamwork.

Although we didn’t take home the top prize this year, we couldn’t be prouder of how they represented St Mary’s. Their passion, preparation, and confidence truly shone through – they debated like real political pros!

Well done, Itohan, Rhys, Nouvelle, and Michaela – you’ve done St Mary’s proud!