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Communicating with confidence

It has been wonderful to see students from across the School excel at public speaking, with twelve Year 5 students trying out for leadership roles for 2018, and five students from Middle School and Senior College competing at the recent Festival of Speech competition at Tara Anglican School for Girls.

The twelve Year 5 students who took to the stage at the Independent Theatre on Tuesday, spoke with passion, conviction and eloquence about their suitability to be a Junior School Prefect next year. It was hard to believe that they’d only had an hour to write their speeches before delivering them.

Each candidate touched on leadership and what it meant to them, their contribution to school life, and the importance of embodying the School motto Ut Prosim through service to their fellow students and the wider School community.

They impressed the audience, which included Dr Scott, Ms Mahony and their peers in the Junior School, with their enthusiasm and heartfelt sincerity. 

Ms Mahony said, “All the candidates exhibited true leadership in their approach to this daunting task. Our aim is always to inspire our students, so it is humbling when students inspire you. This was certainly the case when the candidates delivered their speeches.”

Congratulations to all the candidates involved. Our Junior School Prefects for 2018 will be announced next week.

The Festival of Speech was established in 1996 and is open to girls from Years 7 to 11. Twenty-seven schools now participate and students have the opportunity to compete in the areas of current affairs, ethics, drama, debating, poetry and public speaking. This year five students represented Wenona in Poetry, Public Speaking and Religious Readings.

Emmah, who is in Year 11, presented a speech under the topic ‘On the verge of...’. She then had to prepare an impromptu 3-minute speech on a random topic chosen from a hat. “This is the most stressful part of the competition. However, it is also my favourite as you listen to all sorts of speeches ranging from the girls who are able to speak on philosophical ideas to the girls who make the whole audience laugh,” said Emmah. “Although I didn’t leave with a place, I was able to learn from this experience and develop my skills in both sections of the competition.”

Sophie, who is in Year 9, prepared a poem under the topic ‘Poetry with a Twist’. She enjoyed the day and would encourage other students to take part. “For any girl interested in public speaking, I would highly recommend they join as it is a great experience and a great way to boost your confidence whilst having fun.”