Eighty-four students from Sacred Heart Primary School, Boggabri Public School, Fairfax Public School, and Mullaley Public School participated in the Small Schools Public Speaking Competition recently.
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The annual event has been running for 20 years and was held at Sacred Heart in Boggabri this year.
“Amazed”, “overwhelmed” and “impressed” were the words Sacred Heart principal Dallas Hyatt used to describe his response to the high standard of speeches
The event was sponsored by the Boggabri Rotary Club and adjudicated by Gunnedah residents Meryl Hennessey, Terry Curran and Gary Humphries.
The adjudicators said the standard and quality of the speeches was outstanding which was reflected in the point score, with top three competitors separated by only half to one point difference in many sections.
A highlight of the day was when Will Vowels from Boggabri Public School encouraged his classmate to participate despite his anxiety at speaking in front of so many people he didn’t know. The encouragement worked, with the nervous student deciding to give it a go.
When Will was awarded first place in Year 2 prepared speech, he gave his book to his classmate for being so brave.
Although some students missed out on the official awards, Mr Hyatt said that every student was a winner and they should be very proud of their overall achievements.
Congratulations were extended to all students, parents and staff from all schools who dedicated a large amount of time and effort in preparing for the day.
Mr Hyatt believed that many parents and teachers could stand up and say almost all of the children's speeches as they had heard them many times over in the six weeks leading up to the event.
Mullaley Public School principal, Christine Patison said her students were well-prepared for the competition, which served them well.
“Mullaley Public School always supports the participation of students in this annually held, well-organised competition. Every student from every school who participated deserves a big congratulations.
“Public speaking is a life skill. It promotes self esteem, develops confidence and in years to come perhaps, it can be an effective platform for some of these students to communicate revolutionary ideas.
“To be able to speak confidently and articulately is as important as being able to read and write."
There was a lot of work behind the scenes to the day an outstanding success with teacher Colleen Howarth organising a small but committed band of parent volunteers, who assisted with jobs including making tea and coffee, providing slices and running the canteen.
Sacred Heart said their help was “always appreciated”, including the assistance of the adjudicators and timekeepers who willingly gave up their time to be part of the day.
The school said it was also thankful to the Boggabri Rotary Club for continuing to support the community of Boggabri by “encouraging the youth to improve their public speaking skills which will stand them in good stead and be confident speakers in their future endeavours”.
Results from Mullaley Public School:
Prepared Speech
Kindergarten: Charlotte Tulloch 1, Gordon Higgins 2
Year 1: Susie Bell 1
Year 2: Beau Craig and Chas Jaeger HC
Year 3: Eamon Martin 1
Year 4: Amelia Lush 1, Caroline Mackay HC
Year 5/6: Will Higgins 1, Tori Makim HC
Impromptu Speech
Year 3: Charlotte Craig 1, Tom Gavel 2
Year 4: Oliver O’Neill HC
Year 5/6: Tori Makim 2