Our Public Speaking team have come first in a competition. Club organiser and English teacher Claire McLarnon gives us the details:
The Heart of England Public Speaking team enjoyed great success on Saturday 9 March as they took on the best teams in the district to win the District finals. Hannah, Katarina and Seren will now go forward to the regionals and take on the best in the wider west midlands.
Speaking on the topic of music, the girls stunned the panel of judges at the prestigious Rotary Club competition with their fluency, eloquence and knowledge. The girls spoke of the power of music to comfort and inspire us but also its capacity to enhance our sporting performances and mental health. Performing without notes, the girls gave a slick and impassioned speech with Katarina chairing the proceedings, Hannah performing the role of main speaker and Seren delivering the vote of thanks in this formal event.
After the competition the successful team have met with the Principal Miss Hughes-Williams who congratulated them on their win. She asked them about what they spoke about and how they prepared for he event. “When I think about what Heart of England means, I can see that you embody that.” she said. “It makes me so proud of you.”
The standard was very high as Heart of England took on some of the best talent in the district but the girls’ sights are now very much set on the regional finals in two weeks’ time. Who knows where this might lead? This is an international competition and the stakes are high but for now, it’s back to rehearsing, memorising and performing. We wish them the very best of luck and congratulate them on their success.
Stop Press
Last Saturday – the 23 March, our intrepid team took part in the Regional level of Youthspeaks, the international public speaking competition, contending with the best public speakers in the country. We were up against teams from Wales, Bristol and the North West and believe me, the standard was high!
Our team performed brilliantly, having worked hard since the last heat to improve and refine their speech. The afternoon ended with Heart of England School celebrating a third place position. Hannah, Seren and Katarina have done incredibly well; their excellent speech writing skills, tireless rehearsing and nerves of steel on the day really commend them as future speakers of the highest calibre.