Public Speaking

On December 9, five of our students competed in the annual Cantabrian Oration Award public speaking competition against Canterbury Boys High School. Our schools created this event to provide students with an opportunity to develop their rhetorical skills in a friendly contest, building upon the strong debating cultures we have established.

All our competitors did a fantastic job in both the prepared and impromptu sections. The Stage 4 competitors spoke on topics about inclusivity and community, while the Stage 5 speakers focused on service and stewardship.

In Stage 4, Milla Eckersley, Casper Reynes, Bela Trezise, and Isabella Ristau represented us, with Mila coming second and Isabella taking first prize.

In the Stage 5 competition, due to some last-minute changes, we only had a single student competing: Ismini Stavropolous. She won the competition with two extraordinary speeches about the “Empathy Gap” within our society and advocating for shared “Third Spaces” to address the increasingly individualistic nature of our society.

We congratulate all these students for their efforts, and look forward to continuing our success in next year’s competition, to be held in Term 1.