Voices of Inspiration: Years 3 to 8 ‘Speech Season’

Our Years 3 to 8 students each year are challenged with a brief to write a speech on various topics, perform them for their peers, and if selected, again for guest judges in the finals. Public speaking is one of the most versatile skills we can equip our boys with going into high school and, later down the track, into the workforce. Each year, the students are presented with criteria or theme. They are required to think about a topic or argument that they want to clearly and concisely communicate to their audience.

Our Years 3 and 4 juniors were tasked with crafting a speech on a personal interest or talent. The Year 3s spoke with the aid of an information or picture board, and as a level up, the Year 4s completed a Flash Talk with timed slides.

Year 3 winner Carter Lin wrote about swimming. He spoke with real joy, and his enthusiasm for the topic was infectious. Year 4 winner Isaac Arrowsmith engaged the audience and judges with his Flash Talk on tramping. From the beginning, stomping onto the stage, he peaked the curiosity of everyone before launching into his talk, sharing his passion for tramping with his family.

The Year 5 to 8s were given the topic ‘Guardianship/Kaitiakitanga’. In preparation for the inter-school competition, the Remuera district has posed this universal theme to all schools. Despite the shared topic, the speeches showcased exceptional originality, entertainment value, and a remarkable diversity that made each one truly unique.

In the Year 5 and 6 category, Austin Watson impressed the judges with his speech on ‘SpongeBob Guardian of our Seas’. He successfully wove information about our oceans’ decay into a funny commentary of a beloved TV show to take the win. Runner-up Thomas Bottomley shared with the audience his realisation of the many different guardians he has in his life.

Finally, the Year 7 and 8 winning speech went to Charlie Miller, who talked about the British Museum. Most of us would think museums were some of the best guardians, preserving history for generations and enabling us to know about our ancestors. However, he helped the audience see from another angle – they could also be professional robbers! Runners-up Remo Martinez-Azaro and Rory Carson also presented convincing arguments that urged us to look inward and do what we can to preserve our personal history and our oceans, respectively.

We had the pleasure of welcoming several guest judges to the school to help choose the winners of each year group. Thank you to our Year 4 judges Mrs Louise Miles and Nicole Bright, Year 5 and 6 judges Kate Johnstone and Jordan Vandermade, and Year 7 and 8 judges Jono Pryor and Mark Laurence.

Congratulations to all the finalists listed below.

Year group                              Topic

Year 3

Carter Lin                                Swimming

Roelf Bruinsma                       Rugby

William Liu                              Swimming

Ethan Simpson                        Judo

Year 4

Isaac Arrowsmith                    Tramping

Harry Subbiah                         Reading

Zachary Shen                          Football

Finn Matthews                        Tennis

Jack Stephens                         Mountain Biking

Boyi Yujin                                Violin

Year 5 and 6

Austin Watson                        SpongeBob Guardian of our Seas

Edward Moon                         Protecting the Ocean from Pollution

Thomas Bottomley                 Guardians

Hugo Perry                              Guardianship of our Lands    

Freddie Halliday                      Guardianship of a Chocolate Factory

Christian Smidt                       Protecting my Samoan Culture

Jonty Dwight                           Environment Guardianship

Stanley Maher                        Veganism

Year 7 and 8

Charlie Miller                          The British Museum

Alex Grant                               Health

Charlie Montgomery              Defending Integrity in Sport

Ayden Singh-Al                        Guarding Natural Intelligence

Hugo Wells                              Guardianship of Yourself

Winston Bracewell                  The Good Old Blue and Black

Ben Durose                             The Treasure Box

Eason Liu                                 A Bloom from Within

Harold MacCulloch                 Man in the Mirror

Remo Martinez-Azaro             Guarding our History

Rory Carson                            Guardianship of the Hauraki Gulf