High School Speak-Out

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

Last Friday, I had the honour to serve as one of three judges in our local high school’s speak-out competition.

Held and sponsored by Badger’s Quay Lions Club, this year’s event boasted nineteen students competing from Pearson Academy, the highest number of participants in all of Atlantic Canada. Good on you, teen citizens!

Purpose of a Speak-Out:

• To provide youth with the opportunity to practice and build skills through public speaking
• To encourage youth to have a public voice in issues of concern to them

And the winners are:

Left to right: Leah Lewis, Megan Kelloway, and Bridgette Burry

Bridgette, 3rd place. Topic: The dangers of drunk driving.

Leah, 2nd place. Topic: Being “Seventeen” in today’s world.

Megan, 1st place. Topic: How cancer in a family affects the children. As the winner, Megan will go on to compete at the regional level next month.

Megan had us teary-eyed (her mom survived)
Leah had us laughing with her take on Seventeen
Boys took part but were outnumbered by the girls.

What stood out about the winners: plenty of eye contact, how well they articulated their thoughts, and how animated and relaxed they were with the audience.

19 participants (plus a few more) attending the event from Pearson

I thought all the students did very well with the preparation of their chosen material. As per speak-out regulations, however, several excellent speeches received penalties for exceeding time limits.

I enjoyed this event immensely and would love to be invited back again, and I’m super-encouraged by the high level of participation and interest in public speaking demonstrated by our local youth.

Has your child ever competed in a public speaking event?
Share your experiences with me below.

30 thoughts on “High School Speak-Out”

  2. Sounds like the girls dominated! How wonderful to learn about the top speeches. Public speaking used to send me almost peeing my pants with fear but since then I’ve learned I’ll get through it – and be stronger for it 🙂

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  3. Jennifer, I bet it was hard to choose a winner! They all look so confident and composed. My son took part in a speaking event at his school a couple of years ago and I was so impressed with them all…I could never have done anything similar at that age (or probably now as well!) Congratulations to the winners and all the participants! Happy weekend! 😀❤️

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    1. Annika, I was pleasantly surprised by their composure, that’s for sure. I bet you were proud of your boy too! 😊
      All set to read some of your short stories over the weekend – looking forward to putting my feet up and blocking out the world as I dig into yours. You have a great weekend too!

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  4. What a great opportunity for students to use their voices and see how important public speaking is. My kids were on high school debate teams, which also helped them work on speaking to an audience, and now they both say they wish there had been public speaking classes in their schools. Congrats to you Jennifer for being one of the judges- an honor!

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    1. You are so right, Lois. From personal experience, I know how terrifying it can be, and the only way to overcome it is to do more of it. When I took public speaking in technical college, it did get a little bit easier each time I made a presentation. If a major introvert can manage that, then anyone could!

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  8. Good for you, Jennifer, for participating. I know it meant a lot to these kids. And… it’s so encouraging to hear about such bright, motivated teenagers!

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