Public Speaking Victory

Three Chew Valley students have made it through to the Area Final of the English Speaking Union’s prestigious Public Speaking Competition after winning a hotly contested first-round heat at Red Maids’ School.

Facing fierce competition from teams representing Badminton, Colston’s Collegiate and St. Katherine’s schools, Year 10 students, Julia Lawson-Johns (Chairperson), Sophie Cotterill (Speaker) and Claire Hammett (Questioner) emerged victorious, carrying out their respective roles with confidence and skill. Julia orchestrated her team’s talk in a composed and decisive fashion, Sophie spoke with great passion and poise when arguing for the motion: ‘Beauty contests degrade women’, and Claire asked a range of thought-provoking and incisive questions.

The girls, making their debut in this event, received glowing feedback from the three judges, with the Chief Adjudicator highlighting their composure, preparation and communicative skill as major assets, before declaring them as “clear winners”, whilst Vivienne Wilkinson, the Event Organiser described them as a “fantastic team”.

Mr Blower, the girls’ Coach and English Teacher, was “extremely proud of the girls’ efforts” adding that the success was “testament to the ability and flair for performance that is in abundance at the school.”

Reflecting on their success, Julia described the evening as “intense, but enjoyable”; Sophie showed her delight at defeating some “tough opponents”, and Claire, blushing with pride, commented: “Although I was nervous, it turned out to be a great experience. We can’t wait for the next round!”

The triumphant trio now move on to the Area Final which takes place on Wednesday 19^th January at Q.E.H, Bristol. We wish the girls every continued success in the competition.