31 Jul Public Speaking in English by Karouna Muddapah, Head of English
‘Public speaking can tap into a viper’s nest of dread with seemingly infinite possibilities for messing up and creating scar-tissue embarrassment in front of a crowd.’ (Bryant Adams, New York Times).
This year, the English department’s focus has been about promoting and encouraging public speaking and I am pleased to announce that our students have had success in two public speaking competitions: Mikolot and the VCAA Plain Speaking Award (PESA)
VCAA PESA competition
PESA is a public-speaking competition, organised by VCAA, for students aged 15-18 years. It provides an excellent opportunity for students to build self-confidence and extend their skills in oral communication, speech writing and research.
On the 25ths of May, Year 12 students Lee Slade and Yoni Shroot participated in the VCAA Plain English-Speaking Award State heats, travelling all the way to Susan Cory High School (Werribee) to compete against students from eight other schools. They had to deliver both a pre-prepared speech, as well as an impromptu performance (unseen topic). Whilst only one student (Lee Slade) made it to the semi-finals, both Lee and Yoni had an amazing experience interacting with students from other schools. They also received incredible feedback from the adjudicators.
Mikolot
Mikolot is an annual public speaking competition between Jewish schools. There is an internal round, then an interschool round, and then the national round held in Sydney.
Well done to the three Yr10 students who made it to the interschool round; Shira Vorchheimer, Benjamin Max & Meira Eppel. They presented their speeches at Bialik College, on Thursday 20th July 2023.
The topic was:
‘The Talmud says whoever saves a life is as if they have saved the entire world. ‘How does this statement reflect the value of human life in Judaism?
Mazel Tov to Meira Eppel for making it to the grand final! Meira shared a powerful story of her grandmother, reflecting on how this statement impacted her life and worldview.
Vonnie Coopersmith Public Speaking Competition
On the 23rd of May, the Vonnie Coopersmith Public Speaking Competition was held in Hamerkaz. This year, to encourage our students to develop their public speaking skills, we organised a series of workshops with a professional public speaking coach, Alex Holzer. Mr Holzer worked with our students (Yr5-8) to help them prepare and present their speeches. Further, the winners from each category received a special award, whilst all the finalists received a $5 tuckshop voucher!