22 September 2021
The final of the prestigious Arnold Reid Public Speaking Competition, open to all students in Years 7, 8 and 9, was held in Week 9 of Term 3. The competition, first established in 1945 and recently reinstated in 2010, enables students to exercise their public speaking prowess and self-advocacy skills by supporting a cause or passion, close to their hearts.
As part of the competition, students are required to present a five-minute speech on their chosen topic, as well as a three-minute impromptu speech, in response to an unseen prompt or topic.
All Year 8 students entered the competition as part of a self-advocacy Mentor challenge and a diverse range of topics were presented, ranging from the impacts of deforestation and pollution, the prevalence of Aboriginal deaths in custody to the impacts of depression on young Australians.
Congratulations to all semi-finalists as well as our grand finalists – James Corbin, Alex Howie, Anirvan Iyengar, Alex Koh, Alexis Prakash and Damon Tatarelli.
Ultimately, Alexis Prakash (Year 8), reigned victorious with an outstanding prepared speech supporting the Black Lives Matter campaign and an impressive impromptu speech, celebrating the influence of William Shakespeare, in response to the topic ‘My Role Model’.
Congratulations Alexis!
Nia O’Loughlin
Teacher – English Faculty / Mentor – Year 8