CRONK Y BERRY School stepped into prize-winning shoes in this year’s Junior Public Speaking Competition arranged by Douglas Rotary Club – and scooped an enormous cheque for ?750.
The team of Amber Wilson, Hannah Kermode and Stevie Johnson wowed the ‘home’ audience with an amusing presentation on ‘whose shoes I would like to step into’. In addition to ?750 for the school, each member of the team also won ?30 book tokens.
The runners-up were Marown School, whose team each won ?25 book tokens. Their subject was ‘being driven to distraction’, an interesting topic generated by the speaker’s ADHD condition. The judges commended Harvey Lawrence for speaking so bravely about something so personal.
Third place went to Ashley Hill School, who spoke about ‘stars’.
The successful evening, arranged by Douglas Rotary Club’s Youth Committee in partnership with the Department of Education and Children, was held at Cronk y Berry School. Seven other schools took part and a wide range of subjects was covered, including ‘creative recycling’, ‘A childhood in the Isle of Man’ and ‘making a snail go faster’.
Andrew Swithinbank, the Rotary Club organiser, said that the competition was helping to develop an essential life skill. “We are really pleased that the competition has gone so well this year. It’s good to see an increasing number of young people getting the opportunity to experience speaking in front of a live audience.”
If you would like to find out more about the Rotary Club of Douglas and its activities please contact Clare Faulds at faulds.clare@gmail.com or phone 842045.
