Four winners have been crowned from 22 schools across the region, in the Penrith Valley Public Speaking Competition.
On Monday, 24 students battled it out at Glenmore Park Public School across four public speaking categories from Year 3 to Year 6.
Competition Coordinator and relieving Assistant Principal from Werrington County Public School, Kris Beeby, said students covered a range of interesting topics from keeping secrets to the youngest child syndrome.
“The day went really well, full of very clever and confident children,” she said.
“One had interesting facts about Japan, like their toilet seat warmers, and another spoke about how she had a rotten day at school and her parents wanted to have a chat with her.
“It gives an insight into their world, it makes you as an adult step back and see things from their perspective.”
Boys and girls had to take what they learnt in the classroom competitions earlier in the year, and speak for two to three minutes with a focus on their ‘manner, matter and method’.
“They do a school competition, then go to a district level that’s over three different days, where the winner and the runner up from each go to the grand final,” she said.
“They have a criteria based on a few different categories such as their manner, audience engagement, content, voice and volume.”
Mia Connell from Regentville Public School won the Year 3 category, Matthew Smith from Glenmore Park Public School took out the top spot in Year 4, and the Year 6 winner was Alice Chitos from Orchard Hills Public School.
Winner in the Year 5 category was 10-year-old Antra Mathur from Samuel Terry Public School.
After coming so close in previous Year 3 and 4 competitions but stumbling at the last hurdle, Miss Mathur said she was surprised to take out the top spot this year.
“I’m gobsmacked, I’m really happy,” she said.
“My topic was secrets… I was talking about how good I was at keeping them but really I was blurting it out to everyone, it was very funny.
“I was confident and I tried to explain what secrets are, and I did have some serious bits as well so it was balanced.”
This is the peak of the inter-school competition that was organised by teachers and sponsored by local MPS, Fiona Scott, Stuart Ayres and Tanya Davies.
