English

VCAA Plain English Speaking Award

Last Tuesday, I had the pleasure of accompanying two Year 10 students, Jasmine E and Kaylah D, as they entered the regional finals of the VCAA Plain English Speaking Award. 

The event was held at St Monica’s in Epping and this was the first time either Kaylah or Jasmine had entered a public speaking competition. Judging by the quality of their prepared speeches, few would have picked them for novices. 

Jasmine’s speech entitled ‘Feminism or Sexism: A Fine Line', was thought-provoking and offered a perspective and level of maturity beyond her years. Likewise, Kaylah’s speech on 'the need to change the date of Australia Day' was engaging and posed some important questions, especially in light of Reconciliation Week.

The second part of the competition required both Jasmine and Kaylah to prepare a three-minute impromptu speech with only four minutes of preparation time. The topic ‘Change is Everywhere’ was a challenge to all competitors but did enable them to speak about a variety of topics stemming from a range of contemporary political issues.

What was most pleasing about the day was the camaraderie amongst all the competitors who came from a variety of schools, including Hume Anglican Grammar, St Monica’s, Parade College and Catholic Ladies College. The Chief adjudicator even made comment about this and said she had never seen such a bond between competitors.

A very talented Year 12 speaker from St Monica’s took out the competition. Given the ages of both Jasmine and Kaylah, they did exceptionally well while also gaining valuable experience to allow them to go even further next year. 

Mrs Belinda Jarvis-Dymond

Public Speaking Coach