Presentation on de-extinction triumphs at Fendick Competition

Eight members of the Lower Sixth got through to the final round of the Fendick Competition which took place last Friday. This is a public speaking contest in which pupils present their own research on a topic of their choice, usually one linked to their A level studies. This year’s titles ranged from the use of physiotherapy in treating dementia, to the continued relevance of Orwell’s writings in modern political culture. We had some eminent judges, including our local MP, Richard Graham, and a packed audience of pupils, staff, parents and governors.

The overall winner was Joe Boote, whose title was “De-extinction: Can we? Should we?”. He argued eloquently that, whilst it is possible to bring species back from extinction, there are strong moral arguments for not doing so, instead we should be focusing on preserving the species we still have. He took questions from the floor with skill; ably explaining that de-extinction is achieved by cloning and is therefore not as desirable a process for the future health of a population as natural reproduction.

The runners up were Chiara Stennett who spoke on the presentation of mental health in film, and Bella Ainslie who questioned whether Shakespeare is overrated. The quality of all the presentations was high, demonstrating their excellent independent research, some carefully crafted arguments, and impressive poise in public speaking; a massive well done all round!