Branksome Hall is proud to announce that Debate Coach and faculty member Grace Nolan has won the prestigious Willis S. McLeese Award. The award, named in recognition of McLeese's immense contribution to Canadian debating, is presented to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to debate within their jurisdiction. Ms. Nolan received the honour for her dedication to Branksome's Debate Team and the remarkable achievement of coaching two back-to-back World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Champions (WIDPSC) in 2024 and 2025.

Known as the "Olympics of Debate and Public Speaking," WIDPSC sees the top high school students from around the world compete in eight rounds of rigorous debate. In 2024, Ms. Nolan coached Branksome alum Anna GAGE’24 to win the Individual World Championship in Canberra, Australia. She followed this up by coaching Helen ZIOMECKI’25 to win the same international event in Kuala Lumpur in 2025.

In addition to her coaching, Ms. Nolan is being recognized for her work promoting and advocating for Debate and Public Speaking provincially and internationally. She is the convenor of Re:Solved, Branksome's worldwide Debate and Public Speaking competition, which provides students around the world with a high-quality competition with no fee attached. She volunteers as a mentor to the Debate Team at Get Ahead College in Komani, South Africa, and has been an active volunteer with the Ontario Student Debate Union for the past 13 years (as Toronto Regional Coordinator, Vice President and, since 2013, the President). In her roles, Ms. Nolan organizes tournaments and promotes debate for all students in Ontario, both in public and independent schools.

When asked why she became a debate coach, Ms. Nolan notes, "I love discussing big ideas on current issues in general… Also, I love working with students who have a passion for the spoken word and seeing them excel."

Ms. Nolan believes debate is a crucial skill for young women to practise. “It gives young women voice and agency. During a debate, for eight minutes, women are holding the floor and defending their opinion. These skills are Important  for young women as they leave Branksome Hall. Debate and public speaking also teach young women to be confident and assertive, which is essential in today's world." She added, "According to a 2021 report by a Dartmouth College sociology professor, men speak 1.6 times more often than women in the college classroom. Being in debate and public speaking gives young women the confidence to speak their minds and not be easily dismissed.”

Ms. Nolan’s inspiration for her work in debate is her students. “I love working with them from the beginning of the process—case construction, speech writing, reading out loud—to the finished product. It brings me such joy to watch them in a round or onstage performing and seeing their confidence grow. I get to see young people in a different light while coaching compared to teaching. If a student joins Branksome Debate and Public Speaking, I will work with them from Grade 7 all the way to Grade 12, so I get to see them develop their speaking skills as well as their confidence and their leadership within the program."

Ms. Nolan is the second Branksome Hall coach to receive the McLeese Award, with Aija Zommers winning the award in 1999. She is "incredibly humbled by the recognition" and credits Branksome’s commitment to Debate and Public Speaking for her success. "Thank you for letting me do what I love."