Reported by:
Ng Yi Phin JR2Z(2)
Photography by:
Kuen Cheng Photography Club
After a long wait, Kuen Cheng High School’s Junior English Public Speaking Competition’s finalists were finally announced! The much-anticipated competition was held not long after, during the first recess of 24th August 2022 at the School Auditorium. There were five finalists in total, including Emily Kuok Yee Han, Yap Li Qi, Wong Sze Wei, Goh Jian Mayne and Ngo Kar Min. Many staff members and students could be found flooding into the auditorium to support the finalists.
Before the competition started, the competition’s judges were introduced, namely Miss Jayanthi, Miss Hannah and Miss Lyra. Each finalist was required to deliver a three-minute speech. The criteria for judging, meanwhile, will be based on the finalists’ vocal, intonation, content and others.
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Emily delivered a speech on the importance of literature, which, in whole, can give us an insight into different eras, inspire us (such as Little Women by Louisa May Alcott) and ignite our imagination. Overall, it was a very enlightening speech for everyone. Next up was Li Qi, who talked about the importance of maintaining one’s mental health, which is a very relatable issue for us students, as we always find it hard to balance our school work and daily life.
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Next, Sze Wei presented a speech titled “Where’s That Dream?”. The main message of her speech was, hardships strengthen you and therefore, you should always believe in yourself. After Sze Wei, Jian Mayne delivered his speech on dealing with disappointment. It is a natural feeling we all have that can’t be avoided, but can deal with by having healthy expectations. Lastly, Kar Min presented her speech – “Just Do It!”. This was also, like Li Qi’s, a very relatable speech. It was on the notorious procrastination habit, so to stop it from happening, we should have a really tight grip on reality and control ourselves.
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After Kar Min’s speech, Miss Hannah represented the judges to give comments on the finalists’ performance. Each contestant had creative and informative topics, entertained the crowds and were spot on for their facial expressions, voice control and confidence. All in all, well done to all the contestants! Although there were a few contestants who paused for a while throughout their speech or forgot lines, they managed to move on and this was a good thing – they were confident.
The much-awaited part, the prize giving ceremony finally started after the judges’ comments. The trophies and certificates were presented by Miss Hor and Miss Avlyn.
Excellence Award: Emily Kuok Yee Han, Yan Li Qi
Bronze: Wong Sze Wei
2nd runner up: Goh Jian Mayne
Champion: Ngo Kar Min
After a group photo of the contestants and teachers was taken on stage, the competition formally ended. Once again, congratulations to all finalists for their remarkable performances!
