Posted: Tuesday 1 December 2009
Rachael on a high after St Andrew's Day debating success
A High School of Dundee pupil has both topped the tab and come home with the trophy at the St Andrew's Day debate, held in the Scottish Parliament.
Form 6 pupil Rachael McLellan, partnered with university student John McKee of Glasgow, debated the motion that "This House believes that Scotland's people have a brighter future because of the Scottish Parliament" to win the final.
This year's debate saw 24 school pupils from across Scotland teamed at random with student debaters.
Judges for the final were Chris Hawkins, who with his partner won the debate for St Andrews University last year; the journalist and political commentator Iain McWhirter; Jon Dye, Chairman of ESU Scotland; Fiona Hyslop MSP; and Deputy Presiding Officer Trish Godman MSP.
Rachael, who hopes to read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University, has been a stalwart of the High School debating teams for almost four years, and is a past winner of, among others, the Aberdeen and St Andrews Schools competitions and the Ross Cup (Scottish Champions).