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Grades 9-10： Speech Competition

December 3, 2018

On Nov. 28th, the annual English speech competition of grade 9-10 was held in the big auditorium. Because this year is SHSID’s 25th anniversary, all 9-10 students were invited to record a video and submit a speech either of their choosing or on this year’s theme for the first round: “Something (or things) you are doing now that will be beneficial and impactful for 25 years.” Selected from the winners of the first-round, six students from the ninth grade, and six students from the tenth grade took part in the second-round contest this year. Every student was tasked with composing a 2-3 minute speech on the theme “Something (or things) you are doing now that will be beneficial and impactful for 25 years.” Round 3 was an extemporaneous style response. This year, however, the responses were in the form of a debate, where teams of three students squared off against another team of 3 students under “Outrageous Circumstances”: debating how to handle a far-fetched scenario. All of the contestants worked hard in preparation for this high-level debate.

As the host of this speech contest, Sofia Li’s opening words amazed the audience and served as the beginning of a great memory for all 9-10 students. She then welcomed Mr. Joshua Pickart onto the stage to explain the procedures. Among all the contestants, Drake from grade ten was a self-assured, confident speaker. Like an experienced young woman, composed and steady, Drake mastered the stage and had everything under her control. In round 3, contestants participated in a lively and fervent debate over whether video games should be banned for kids under the age of 18. Since the debaters were only given four minutes of prep time, the amount the speakers had to say was quite impressive. The crossfire served as the apex of the debate, which was especially intense and caused great laughter from the audience. In the end, the pro side prevailed over the con in saying that we should ban video games for those under the age of 18. Wonderful dance performances also took place during the break of the contest. At the end, Drake Zhao and Alex Shi from grade 10 were named the champions.

As one of the biggest annual events every year, this contest is for students who welcome learning, look for academic challenges, and seek the opportunity to speak publicly. Just as expected, the contestants never ceased to amaze the judges. They continuously improved their public speaking skills, reached new goals, and dedicated a significant gift to SHSID’s 25th anniversary by showing their talent!

(Written by Joshua Pickart, Sophia Yang, 9(5) Hannah Zhou Pictures by 10(3) Wendy Tan, 10(7) Tony Guo)