Pinjarra Senior High School was delighted to host members of the Pinjarra Rotary Club on Thursday, October 18, as students competed in the annual Rotary Four Way Speech Competition.
The lecture theatre was filled with an enthusiastic audience as they listened intently to the engaging topics presented by the speakers on the night.
Pinjarra Senior High School’s head of humanities and social sciences Kelly Bain said the exercise proved to be a positive experience for students involved.
“The Rotary Four Way Speech Contest has been an excellent public speaking opportunity for four Year 10 students here at Pinjarra Senior High School,” she said. “The students were challenged personally and academically to choose a topic that they are passionate about and write a five-minute speech taking into account Rotary’s Four Way Test.”
‘The Four Way Test’ can be considered a tool for life to help govern our own actions and words. Is what we are saying or hearing true? Are our words and actions fair to all concerned? Am I building goodwill and better friendships? Will my actions and words be beneficial to all concerned?
The adjudicators, Caroline Green of Pinjarra Senior High and Rob Davis and John Smith of Pinjarra Rotary Club, commented positively on the poise and confidence of the speakers as well as on the engaging and diverse issues chosen.
The talks covered food waste, plastic pollution, depression in men and Indigenous mentoring. The students were clearly passionate about their chosen topics and spoke intelligently and in detail, presenting intriguing perspectives on their chosen subjects.
Bain said the students produced some outstanding speeches on a variety of topics with the aid of some very dedicated teaching staff.
This year the winner of the Rotary Four Way Speech competition was Maria Ruocco, with the runner-up on the night being Emily Watson.
Maria will now progress to the next heat where she will compete against other Year 10 students from neighbouring schools in the Peel and Murray Districts.
Adrian Toh is Pinjarra Senior High School’s corporate services officer
