Knockloughrim student competes in global ‘Great Debate’ which attracted an audience of over 15,000

Hudson Jones, a Year 11 student at OneSchool Global’s Knockloughrim Campus, near Magherafelt, was joined by fellow students from OneSchool Global’s worldwide network of schools as they debated on current topics such as whether Artificial Intelligence is a threat to human potential and creativity. For the second round, students also explored whether students who fail an assessment should get to retake it.

The ‘Great Debate’ event was broadcast virtually across OneSchool Global’s network of 120 schools, with campuses in the USA, Australia, France and Italy all tuning in. OneSchool Global schools are attended by families of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.

Hudson secured his position on one of the final teams after competing in regional and national hustings, receiving praise from judges for his effective debating style. He then joined a team of four fellow OneSchool Global students from across the world, all from the international equivalent of Years 11 to 13.

The first Great Debate was organised by OneSchool Global last year, to give its students the opportunity to work with fellow students across the world and to help them boost their collaborative skills and public speaking abilities. Following its success, the second edition was even greater, with a record number of people tuning in.

Hudson said that he found the topics of the debate very interesting and relevant to current affairs. AI is constantly on the news, and he greatly enjoyed having the opportunity to think critically about it. Hudson was grateful for the opportunity to work together with peers from across the globe and to understand their different perspectives.

Speaking of his success, Kris McClelland, Campus Principal at OneSchool Global’s Knockloughrim Campus, added: “We are very proud of Hudson’s performance at the debate. He spoke so eloquently and made us all at the Knockloughrim Campus so proud! It’s not easy to confidently speak in front of such a large audience, let alone to argue your points so convincingly. We hope Hudson has inspired other students to get involved next year.”