English 

Year 7 English  

On the morning of 11 October, the Year 7 students were lucky enough to speak with Robert Newton, the author of 'Runner', the novel we are currently studying.

Robert offered insights regarding how he came to be a writer, a bit about his home life, the process behind coming up with some of the characters in his book, how long the writing and editing process was and more! 

Personally, I thought the fact he never really set out to be a writer from a young age and that his passion grew over the years was really fascinating. 

I found his presentation insightful and very interesting and although he couldn't do it in person, it was still a very enjoyable experience.

Catherine Antonopoulos

Year 7

Debating and Public Speaking

On Wednesday 15 September, five Year 7 and 8 students participated in the 'Debaters Association of Victoria (DAV) Junior Public Speaking' competition online, where they presented a prepared speech to a roomful of peers and assessors.  

An additional challenge on the day was to create and deliver impromptu speeches on unseen topics! Students did a commendable job of showcasing their public speaking skills in a virtual capacity, gaining valuable experience and learning from others. 

We congratulate the following students for their efforts: 

• Taylah Bell
• Elysia Gilmour
• Rhiannon Marie-Jeanne 
• Annabelle McHugh
• Olivia Murphy

On Monday 25 October, Hayley Meure, Year 10, competed in the 'DAV Intermediate Public Speaking' finals, held online. Students from across the state were represented in the competition, including Scotch College, Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School and Geelong College. 

Hayley presented her speech on the challenges presented by climate change, arguing that international cooperation on this issue is essential if we are to make a lasting impact on not just climate change, but a range of crucial issues of worldwide importance.  

Students were also required to present an impromptu speech, with only five minutes to prepare a response to the topics of either ‘new’ or ‘puzzle’.  We are exceptionally pleased to announce that Hayley won the overall competition! Her delivery of both speeches was highly engaging, demonstrating her natural flair for public speaking and her astute reading of current affairs. Congratulations to Hayley on this fine accomplishment! You can read an excerpt of her speech below: 

“To avoid the devastation of global warming we need to halve our carbon emissions by 2040 and reach net zero emissions just years after. This is going to need change in almost every aspect of our economy, but I’ll look at just one aspect, energy production. To reach this goal we would need to replace 62% of all global energy production, a goal that a single country cannot possibly hope to reach. Here is where our bigger issue comes into play, conflict amongst our global leaders. This international division has prevented us and continues to stop us from cooperating to make plans, and share resources to bring about the change that we need to survive. Furthermore, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that 2.4 trillion dollars would be needed in the energy system alone every year to merely reduce global warming. This may seem like an impossible amount, but America spent almost half of that sum on the military in 2020. International rivalry again proves to be the bigger issue, wasting not just money but resources and manpower. Resources that if only were put to stopping climate change, the children of today wouldn’t have to worry about an inhospitable home planet within the span of their lifetime. We have the resources and technology to have stopped climate change, if only our leaders could agree for long enough to do it. International conflict is the true reason that global warming is currently a threat in our world, so not to be dramatic but, every degree this floating space rock warms from here on is a consequence of international competition, and every ton of carbon released from the permafrost from now that spells utter annihilation of the life that we know is the dangers of international conflict.”

The 'DAV Junior Debating' competition has also concluded for 2021. Students participated in their final rounds at the end of Term 3, showing remarkable enthusiasm and comradery despite the challenges of competing remotely.  

The DAV praised a number of Kilbreda students for achieving high individual scores on their speeches, demonstrating their willingness to rise to the occasion and the development of their debating skills. 

Participants in the competition included: 

Team 1 

• Taylah Bell
• Charlotte McLean
• Annabelle McHugh
• Olivia Murphy

Team 2

• Elysia Gilmour
• Rhiannon Marie-Jeanne 
• Alessia Mastrocola
• Grace Cronin 

Kim Elliott

Learning Leader: English 

and Debating and 

Public Speaking Coordinator