Trinity College School’s Grade 11 Osler Speaking Contest was held on Thursday, February 6th in the Dick and Jane LeVan Theatre. This year’s nine competitors impressed all with their well-researched speeches, confidence and varying styles of delivery.
The contest was initiated by the late Sir Edwin Leather ’37 in honour of the School’s first Head Boy, Sir William Osler. The competition is generously supported by the TCS Parents’ Guild, who donated the trophy some years ago and who provide the prize money for the winner each year.
The judges for this year’s competition were staff members Mrs. Sheri Gardiner, Mrs. Viola Lyons and Mr. Doug Mann. The English department would like to thank them for volunteering their time.
For the Grade 11 competition, the students speak on a non-Canadian figure who has made a significant impact on the world. The speeches were given in class with the top student from each class participating in the final round in front of the entire grade.
The topics this year ranged from Thomas Edison to Mother Teresa. While all of the speakers rightfully earned their spot in the finals with their creative and engaging speeches, the judges were unanimous in awarding top prize to Ambrose Ling for his speech on Abraham Lincoln. Ambrose brought much passion and energy to the delivery of his speech during which he highlighted Lincoln’s strong moral compass. He finished his speech with the words of Lincoln, reminding his audience that “the best way to predict [their] future [was] to create it” and encouraging them to make a difference in the world. Normally, the judges award honourable mentions. However, because of the high calibre of the competition this year, they were not able to do so. Instead, the judges stressed how impressed they were with the overall competition.
The other finalists, in alphabetical order, were: Sahil Amin, Wilfred Owen; Jonathan Ho, Thomas Edison; Annie Honkoop, Desmond Doss; Loretta Hu, Rosalind Franklin; Beth McArthur, Peter Sellers; Kyle Munns, Martin Luther King, Jr.; Aishwarya Rajesh Krishnan, Mother Teresa; and Allie Riihiluoma, Johnny Barnes. Many thanks to the Head Prefects, David Pitcairn and Roselle Torres, for hosting the competition and entertaining the audience between speeches with interesting facts about the upcoming speakers.
- By Barbara Brough, head of English
