The final round of the Grade 10 Public Speaking Contest at Trinity College School was held on May 13th in the Dick and Jane LeVan Theatre. Speeches focused on Canadians who have made a significant contribution to their field and/or the world around them. Every Grade 10 student researched, prepared and delivered a speech for their English class. The top speaker from each class then participated in the finals.
Former faculty member Mr. Peter Kedwell generously sponsored the competition. The event was hosted by two school prefects, Val N. and Emerson M. They entertained the audience by providing interesting facts about each speaker as they were introduced, and playing a “how well do you know your prefects” game.
Each year, we are impressed with the calibre of speakers and their confidence and poise in front of an audience. This year, the judges noted that the standard of the speeches was consistently high, making the task of judging the contest quite enjoyable. They also congratulated all the speakers on a job well done, commenting on how it was a challenging task to tease out one or two winners when all the speakers were so passionate in their delivery.
After much deliberation, the judges decided on a tie, awarding first place to Anjali S. for her speech on Dionne Brand and Roger Z. for his speech on James Barry.
Anjali was awarded top marks for her sincere energy, confident delivery and flawless elocution. Anjali’s speech highlighted not only Brand’s contributions to Canadian literature but also her activism, in which she has critiqued economic and political power structures and spoken out against racism and discrimination.
Meanwhile, Roger impressed all with his personable approach, friendly conversational tone, and his “big reveal tactic.” Roger’s speech carefully unfolded the story of Barry’s military and medical work in the 1800s, highlighting how Barry reformed medical standards in the British army. Roger then surprised his audience by revealing that, after his death, it was discovered that Barry’s assigned sex at birth was female, which sparked significant debate about his identity.
The other finalists, in alphabetical order, were: Anthony G., Francis Pegahmagabow; Liam M., Joseph Burr Tyrrell; Ben M., Jean Béliveau; Hannah O., Karen Kain; Bianca R., Harry Leslie Smith; and Izzy W., Irene Uchida.
Thank you to the judges, Mr. Peter Kedwell, Ms. Viola Lyons (Senior School librarian), and Mr. Chris Robert (retired faculty), for their time and careful deliberations. As well, thank you to Mr. Tyrell Chambers (faculty associate) for hosting the webinar.
- By Ms. Barb Brough, head of English
