Six students from Laurus Cheadle Hulme (LCH) are set to compete in the District Finals of the Rotary Youth Speaks competition after winning both the Intermediate and Senior categories in the District Heats.
The Youth Speaks public speaking competition is run by the Rotary Club and provides a platform for young people to develop their speaking skills, grow their confidence and share their opinions.
The 2024 competition is the largest yet, with 72 teams from 38 schools sponsored by 25 Rotary Clubs. The competition has 3 tiers, District Heats, District Finals and Grand Final.
Aneesa, in her role as Chairperson, introducing Molly and the topic of their speech
Two teams represented LCH in the District Heats in Warrington, the Intermediate team was made up of Dua, Molly and Aneesa from Years 8-9, and the Senior team was made up of Brandon, Jack and Charis from Year 10.
Both teams have been practising for the past few months, and also had the chance to rehearse their speeches with our sponsors from the Rotary Club of Cheadle Royal.
As the day of the competition arrived, students had to deliver their speeches in front of a large crowd of judges, parents, carers, students and visitors from other schools.
Molly delivers her speech to a large crowd
The Intermediate team won first place with an incredibly moving and thoughtful speech on the difficulties of living with Autism and ADHD.
The Intermediate team receive their certificates of participation
Delivering a passionate speech on the shocking realities of teenage vaping, the Senior team also secured LCH first place in their category.
Jack delivers his concluding speech for the Senior team
Both teams of students stood out as being incredibly well-prepared and confident, and were commended for how articulately they answered the questions they were given.
They will now progress to the District Finals on Monday 11th March, where they will compete against the winning students from the other District Heats.
We’d like to congratulate the students involved for their articulate speeches and wish both teams the best of luck in the District Finals!