Grand Final Winners and Northern England runners-up: Students impress in Rotary Youth Speaks Competition
Three students from Laurus Cheadle Hulme celebrated success in the final stages of the Rotary Youth Speaks competition, winning the District Grand Final before achieving silver in the North of England Final.
In an inspiring display of oracy and rhetoric, Laurus Cheadle Hulme’s Intermediate team have once again made their mark in the Rotary Youth Speaks competition, finishing second in the whole North of England!
The public speaking contest, organised by the Rotary Club, has grown to become a significant event, with this year’s competition being the largest to date. A record number of 72 teams from 38 schools, sponsored by 25 Rotary Clubs, competed through four challenging tiers.
Double win in the District Heats
The journey to the North of England Final began back in February, when we were proudly represented by two teams in the District Heats held in Warrington (Read more about this in our previous story).
The Intermediate team of three Year 8-9s and the Senior team of three Year 10s left judges impressed with their well-presented speeches.
Both teams emerged victorious in their categories, advancing to the District Finals in Newton-le-Willows.
A tense round for the District Finals
The District Finals were tough for each category, but both teams dug deep.
The Senior team presented their compelling speech on the dangers of teenage vaping, and just narrowly missed out on the win with a second place finish.
Sadly, this was the end of the road for the Senior team, who left with their heads held high as the runners-up.
The Intermediate team delivered their poignant speech on the complexities of living with Autism and ADHD, and were also named the runners-up.
Although they didn’t get first place, their journey wasn’t over yet.
They were thrilled to find their performance had earned them the title of best runners-up out of all the District Finals, propelling them to the District 1285 Grand Final!
Continued success in the District Grand Final
The District Grand Final took place in March at the Forest Hills Hotel in Frodsham.
Aneesa, Dua and Molly were up against fierce competition, with the overall standard of presentations being higher than ever before.
The team rose to the challenge and continued their winning streak, securing the Forest Hills Trophy and a spot in the North of England Final!
An excellent finish in the North of England Final
With just one round left, the Intermediate team were competing against the best in the North of England.
They went into the final with confidence and eloquently delivered their speech, achieving a fantastic result and coming in at second place in the whole of the North!
This remarkable journey, following their initial success in the District Heats earlier this year, is a testament to the hard work and passion of these students.
A huge congratulations to our Intermediate team for their achievements and outstanding performance throughout this entire competition.
We’d like to thank everyone who supported them along the way, including the members of staff who cheered them on in the audience!
Click here to read about their first win in the District Heats.