LOXTON High School year 12 student Oscar Harding expressed his voice and views recently as one of four state finalists in a premier public speaking competition.
Oscar competed in the state finals of the Rostrum’s Voice of Youth public speaking competition on Saturday, June 26, at Adelaide’s Parliament House.
He said participating in the competition was a “great experience” and “opened doors to his future”.
“I love being involved in extracurricular activities… they’re the best part of school,” he said.
“I’ve taken part in the school musical, pedal prix, and a few other things, which are all great experiences that don’t go in vain.
“At Parliament House in Adelaide, I made some great connections and met some politicians who suggested I maybe do a traineeship next year through my gap year.
“The other students I was up against were extremely knowledgeable and great, likeminded people, so it was great going through the competition with them.”
Oscar described the process as “intense”.
“I’ve never taken part in any public speaking competitions before – not even in school – so it was something new to me,” he said.
“We had to go through a couple of rounds before the grand final and I was able to use the same prepared eight-minute speech for the heat round and semi-final.
“I was required to write a new eight-minute speech for the final and within the competition I was required to present a three-minute impromptu speech, for which I was given only 15 minutes to prepare.
“I was proud of my efforts and thought my speeches were very convincing, as I received a great response from the audience.
“My teacher Ms Frost was a great mentor throughout the whole competition and I cannot thank her enough for her help.
“I recommend other students to give the competition a go.”
Loxton High School English teacher and public speaking co-ordinator Meegan Frost said she was proud of Oscar’s efforts.
“Although Oscar didn’t place, he spoke with conviction and class in his usual highly engaging manner and received great praise from the audience,” she said.
“The school is immensely proud of Oscar’s achievements and appreciative of the commitment and support of his family in participating in the competition.”
Ms Frost said the school had a “long and formidable reputation” with the competition.
“A number of past students have competed in the state final over the years and have done exceptionally well,” she said.
“Other students who participated in the competition this year included Kelton Parrotta, year 8, Elias Drakopoulos, year 9, and Caitlin Andrews, year 11.
“Special mention must be made of Caitlin Andrews who also progressed to the semi finals of the senior competition by gaining a wild-card entry from the judges.”
Loxton High School promotes public speaking through its own school competition, which was this year held on Wednesday, March 10, and its English curriculum programs foster the development of this skill through various assessment tasks.