It was with great excitement that we approached this year’s Speech Arts Festival, celebrating our ongoing work towards the goal of: “Nurturing confident and competent communicators and thinkers” (Institute for Excellence in Writing).
Traditionally held in the spring at Hawthorn, this event included recitation of classic poetry and declamation of famous speeches and prose by our Grade 6s, and writing and delivering self-introduction speeches by our Gr. 7s.
Public speaking opportunities like this help students by:
- Improving their ability to listen and to interact socially with others;
- Improving their communication and persuasion skills, enhancing their ability to help and motivate others and to negotiate resolutions;
- Providing experience in planning and articulating ideas, and improving memory, writing and reading skills, and critical thinking skills;
- Increasing self-esteem.
This year our Speech Arts Festival was held on Thursday, May 1, 2025 beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Grade 6 and 7 students presented their speeches, in full #1 dress uniform, live and in person in the Atrium. Guests of Grade 5, 6 and 7 students were invited to attend, and it was wonderful to take part in encouraging our young speakers as they showcased their confidence, eloquence, and communication skills.
Thank you to Theresa Kim, English teacher, for preparing our students so carefully for this celebratory evening, and to Tiffany Zupan, Director of Academics, for organizing and hosting the fun evening. And to our judges, Dr. Robin D’Souza and Sandra Nelson, thank you for taking on the difficult task of evaluating the excellent presentations and for providing feedback to our students.
Most of all, hearty congratulations to each of our Gr. 6 and 7 students for all of the thought, feeling, and practice that you poured into making our Speech Arts Festival a success! We were so very impressed by your lively, engaging, moving speeches – bravo, girls!
