A record number of Upper IV and Lower V students entered the Rotary Youth Speaks Debate Competition this year.

We had three Intermediate Teams (Upper IV) and three Senior teams (Lower V), most of whom were competing in an external public speaking competition for the first time. Dr Cuthbertson and I were impressed with how well they all approached the task of choosing a topic and preparing three speeches, all to be presented in a strict time limit of 15 minutes. With our help with structuring and delivering their speeches, all the students practised hard to be ready for the night.

The Rotary Club members, judges, parents and teachers were overwhelmed with the high standard of the speeches from every team – the level seems to improve every year! We were very proud of all The Abbey teams and delighted that once again, the Intermediate team of Gabrielle (Chairperson), Saanvi (Proposition) and Nikita (Opposition) won the Intermediate section and will go forward to compete in the District Final in March with their motion: ‘Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.’

Some reflections from the students:

‘I joined the public speaking club as I wanted to improve my skills and confidence when talking to an audience. Soon after joining, I had the opportunity to take part in the Rotary competition with my friends. It was fun writing the speeches, and we tried to make them as comedic as possible. I never thought I would be able to talk so confidently in front of so many people, and even though my legs were literally shaking, I was able to still talk slowly! This competition has definitely helped improve my confidence, and I’m so glad I participated.’ (Suhana, Lower V)

‘I competed for the first time as a Chairperson for the debate in my team. As this role was completely new to me, hours of Youtube videos and countless questions to my friends helped me do the best I could, and I’m really proud of our achievement. I had so much fun and it was an amazing experience. If I was given the opportunity to do it again, I’d say yes in a heartbeat.’ (Ellanya, Upper IV)

‘The Rotary competition has been an interesting experience because it gave me the opportunity to write a speech on a chosen topic and prepare for the speech as a team. This was my first time competing in a public speaking event and I enjoyed presenting my thoughts to an audience.’ (Margherita, Lower V)

‘Participating in the competition was an enriching experience that allowed me to engage with a critical issue that my teammates and I were passionate about, while honing my public speaking skills. I truly enjoyed the opportunity to articulate my arguments and I was proud of how my team was able to think critically in a high-stakes setting.’ (Jeanie Upper IV)

‘Participating in the Rotary Youth Speaks again has been a wonderful experience. Every time I step in that room there is a new way to deliver speeches, which always fascinates me as you can learn something new every time. I am so grateful that we won the local round and are going to the district final.’ (Saanvi Upper IV, speaker for the winning Intermediate team)