Students Speak For Their House
Speaking in front of an audience can be a daunting proposition but it is also an important life skill for students to develop. In the recent Interhouse Public Speaking Competition, many students displayed great confidence and courage when speaking in front of their peers.
The Competition
The competition ran in Weeks 7 and 9 of Term 3 and students in Years 5 to 12 were able to nominate to represent their House and earn valuable points for the McAuley Shield.
The Topics
Traditionally, public speaking requires participants to write and deliver a speech on a particular topic. Some of the topics students could choose from this year included, “What age should children be allowed mobile phones?” “Professional athletes make too much money”, and “Being lazy isn’t always a bad thing.” Speakers were assessed on their knowledge of their chosen topic and how effective they were in presenting their arguments.
Spoken Word
Writing and delivering a three-minute speech can be an intimidating task even for a capable student. As a result of this, a new category was introduced to the competition this year to enable students to work on their public speaking without the pressure of writing their own speech. The new Spoken Word category required participants to present a piece of poetry or prose of their choosing. Students were assessed on their verbal and non-verbal communication skills as well as their ability to convey the emotion of their chosen piece. This led to a variety of thought-provoking, emotive and, at times, humorous presentations.
The Results
Every participant was given an overall score out of 36, these scores were then tallied to determine the overall winning House. The final results were:
- Kelly
- O’Reilly
- Frayne
- O’Donnell
- Corbett
- Byrne
- de la Hoyde
- Dillon
What the Students Thought
“I like Public Speaking because it gives students a platform to express their individuality in a judgement-free space.” Grace Portwood, Year 9
“I participated in the competition because I like pushing myself out of my comfort zone and challenging myself. Speaking in front of other people is a skill that I like to work on because I know it is something I will use later in life.” Kayla Monaco, Year 11.
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- Featured, Learning4Life
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
