Weronika Popko, a Third Year student in Portlaoise College, has been crowned the 2021 Individual Winner of the illustrious Leinster Junior Schools Debating Competition.
The Leinster Junior Schools Debating Competition is run by the renowned UCD Law Society and Literary and Historical Society.
It is the biggest competition of its kind in Europe.
Every year hundreds of teams compete from schools all over Leinster and this year – despite the Covid shutdown – 198 teams took part.
Three Portlaoise College teams took part and all three made the break.
Weronika debated topical and controversial issues: the merits of computer skills in school, the four-day working week, climate change, development of rural Ireland, the privacy of celebrities and superheroes.
In each round, she competed against seven other schools, including Belvedere College, Willow Park, Alexandra College and, Loreto on the Green and many more.
Last Thursday, March 18, after months of competing, Weronika beat off the last few contenders to win the illustrious title.
Weronika describes the experience of debating through Zoom meetings as ‘challenging and nerve-racking’, but also ‘incredible’ and ‘irreplaceable.’
She is thankful for having had the opportunity to do what she loves best.
Weronika is grateful to her teammates and to the teachers whose support, she says made her ‘more confident, more motivated and inspired me to continue to do better and make them proud’.
Unfortunately, due to Covid 19, the final did not take place in the Fitzgerald Chamber at UCD.
However, the students and staff at Portlaoise College are looking forward to being together again after Easter when they will celebrate Weronika’s great achievement.
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