On the evening of Thursday, April 30th, the Hawthorn community gathered in the atrium for our annual, much-anticipated Speech Arts Festival featuring our senior Lower School classes. After weeks of preparation and practice, each Grade 6 and 7 student took her turn at the lectern before a full house of encouraging family, friends, guests, and judges (Dr. Robin D’Souza, PhD and Ms. Sandra Nelson, OCT), showing her growth in poise, elocution, and communication skills.
For Grade 6, congratulations to each student for her declamation of a Famous Speech or Prose, spanning history and the world, and particularly to:
Livia D.: ‘On the Eve of the Battle with the Spanish Armada’ by Elizabeth I (Honorable Mention)
Avriella R.: ‘St. Crispin’s Day Speech’ from Henry V by William Shakespeare (3rd Place)
Emma R.: ‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?’ by Frederick Douglass (2nd Place)
Aisosa O.: ‘Brandenburg Gate Speech’ by Ronald Reagan (1st Place)
For Grade 7, congratulations to each student for her Self-Introductory Speech, her personal acknowledgement of Aristotle’s remark, ‘Knowing yourself is the beginning of wisdom’, and particularly to:
Kaylie R.: ‘My Journey Through Water, Music, and Adventure’ (Honorable Mention)
Fatima S.: ‘Practice Makes Progress’ (1st Place)
Public speaking is a notoriously challenging endeavour, striking fear into the hearts of many seasoned adults. You would never know how nerve wracking taking the podium can be after witnessing Hawthorn’s Speech Arts Festival. We are truly so very proud of our courageous, competent, and confident students. Your speeches reminded us of the importance and weight of words in conveying what is most important to humanity, whether on the brink of war, or reflecting on special moments in our own lives. Well done, girls!
