The all-important weather conversation, enjoying no traffic, a heightened chance of being an All Black, being tough enough to wear shorts in winter, dagging sheep… is Sam McLeod, the winner of this year’s Middle School speech competition, hardy enough to be a true Southern Man? And what was the chance that his family pet, the ‘Latte Lab,’ could adapt to life on a farm? After weighing the odds, Sam had to conclude he’s probably a true Aucklander at heart, but Southern Man or not, his fantastic speech delivery earned him a well-deserved first place!

Our Middle School boys were the first to put their speaking skills to the test in front of this year’s judges, skilled communicators, Wendy Petrie and Kate Hurst. All nine boys gave fantastic speeches but it was Chris Revell-Devlin’s hilarious account of his parents’ take on ‘The Gift of Failure’ that earned the second spot, with Theo Colyer in third place, having asked if we would choose a chocolate bar over the life of an orang-utan, in choosing products with palm oil.

The following day, it was the turn of the senior boys with Ms Hurst returning to judge along with brother, Ben, a noted speaker. This is the third time they have judged for Saint Kentigern.

Recognising the traits of good leadership, along with a natural gift for public speaking proved to be a winning formula for George Beca. With great stage presence, he said he has come to recognise that not all leaders are good leaders and as 12 year olds, they have much to aspire to as they learn to make the world a better place. Austin Alcock was runner up with a powerful speech about the selfless act of organ donation, knowing the difference it made for his own mother. He beseeched us all to leave a legacy – tick the organ donation box on our driver’s license.

To understand the calibre of the two small groups of finalists who represented each age group in the finals, keep this in mind - well over 400 boys in the Middle and Senior School gave speeches in the preceding weeks, gradually moving through the ranks to be finally selected as finalists. Every one of the finalists was a strong contender with excellent speech making skills. Consequently, judging was not easy! However, having given close consideration to speech construction, delivery and presentation, content and engagement, use of language and the overall impact – our winning boys ticked all the boxes!

Our sincere thanks to Wendy, Kate and Ben for giving so freely of their time to come and judge. We are most appreciative.

MIDDLE SCHOOL WINNERS
1st Sam McLeod               6MJ        If I was a Southern Man
2nd Chris Revell-Devlin   5CW      The Gift of Failure
3rd Theo Colyer               4GK          Orangutans

SENIOR SCHOOL WINNERS
1st George Beca                              8KK        Leadership
2nd Austin Alcock            7HT        Organ Donors

MIDDLE SCHOOL FINALISTS
Thomas Hageman            6AW      Quiz Night
Taylor Bai                           5CW      If I Were a Superhero
Oliver Hardie      5GE        Luck
Johnny Ormond 4GK        The Middle Child
Jett Evans            5AL        My Great Great Uncle in World War Two
Sean Trombitas  6CT        King Henry VIII and His Wives

SENIOR SCHOOL FINALISTS
Sebastian Hardie              8BC        Multitasking
Will Tisdall                         8WH      How Much is too Much?
Robson Reidy                    7FM       Passchendaele
Louis Eglinton                   8KK        A Candy Marshmallow Land
Fionn Steele Smith           7MT       World War Three
Brendan Meyer                7FM       Life Choices
Nick Bigio                           8WH      First and Third World Problems
Jashil Rana                         7CV        Life is Like a Box of Chocolates

OUR JUDGES
Wendy Petrie is a presenter of Television New Zealand's One News at 6pm. She is an excellent presenter, public figure and communications expert. She believes that every young person should develop the life skill of public speaking.

Kate Hurst is the director of Head Held High, School of Confidence. She has been teaching public speaking and Speech and Drama to people aged 3  to adults the last 11 years. Kate is passionate about public speaking and loves her job building the confidence, creativity and communication skills of her students.

Ben Hurst a former Crusaders and Canterbury rugby halfback is an exceptional public speaker. He is a well-respected MC and is called upon to speak regularly at functions. He is Kate’s brother.

Click here to see more photos,

Tags

• Speech

Share this