Petra Junior triumphs at Inter-schools Public Speaking

THE second instalment of the Junior Inter-schools Public Speaking competition held last week Tuesday brought 12 schools to Petra College Junior in Bulawayo for an intense contest. Petra College emerged victorious as they continued to outshine their fellow competitors.

The school hosted St Thomas Aquinas Primary School, Riverdale Academy, Morning Star, Dominican Convent Primary, Carmel Primary, Kumalo Primary, Tennyson Primary, Masiyephambili Junior, Froggy Pond School, Coghlan Primary School, and Whitestone.

An impressive display was put forward by the organising team led by Faith Dube, who also hosted the night’s proceedings. The school’s hall was teeming with parents buzzing in anticipation as each school put forward two speakers for a prepared speech and another two for an impromptu speech. This saw 48 students grace the podium for the Junior (Grade four and five) and Senior (Grades Six and Seven) categories.

The speakers impressed with their composed and smooth deliveries of well-penned speeches. Of note was the senior category, which was a close contest of Grade 6 and 7 students skilled beyond their years.

The Arthur C Evans Inter-schools trophy was retained by reigning winners Petra. Morning Star was hot on their heels in second place, and Dominican Convent placed well in third.

Andrew Makonese, headmaster of Petra College Junior, handed out an assortment of goodies, some beautiful bottles filled with sweets, and certificates for participants as well as the medals for the winners, courtesy of the school.

First place in Senior Prepared Speech was Kylar Gwede from Petra College, who received the senior trophy for her speech titled “Things That Scare Me”, with First Place for Senior Impromptu going to Ezekiel Masanganise from St Thomas. The junior trophy was claimed by Ethan Mpofu with his brilliant prepared speech “Awful Aunt Melinda”, and Mbalenhle Dube from Dominican Convent rightly earned her first place with an engaging impromptu.

The evening was capped off by the giving out of the brand new “Most Promising Award” for both senior and junior categories for the speakers who placed outside the medal awards but showed promise to develop into better speakers. These awards consisted of two generous lunch vouchers at the King’s Kraal restaurant, courtesy of King’s Kraal, which went to Tinotenda Mhuru (Senior) from Morning Star for a richly vocalised prepared speech titled “My Bucket List” and Matthew Machemedze from Masiyephambili for his stunning impromptu on rocks.

The proceedings were judged by Sue Bramsen, a theatre director; Takudzwanashe Bvurire, a Petra College alumnus; and Heleen Tink from Whitestone Primary, who remarked on the quality of the children’s delivery on display.