On Saturday afternoon, St Peter’s School hosted the ESU Public Speaking North East Regional Finals. Allan Stewart OBE, Dr Alan Brown and Dorothy Lee were welcomed as guest judges for the day.
A team of three 13-18 pupils were up against strong opponents from Malton School, Teesside High School, Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School and Dame Allan’s School. Jemima, Lewis and Evie each individually contributed to the overall success of the team.
Evie was the guest speaker alongside Dame Allan’s School, posing the question, “Have we seen the end of generations who can expect the future to be better than the past?”. She spoke eloquently, with great confidence and enthusiasm, impressing the judges hugely. Lewis chaired the last round, in which a guest speaker from Malton School posed the idea that “We need a public health approach to violent crime.” Jemima was the questioner in this round, which, according to Head Judge Allan Stewart (OBE) was the hardest role of all, having to spontaneously ask thought-provoking questions in response to the speaker’s comments.
In the end, one point separated first and second place, and it was the St Peter's team that was crowned North East Regional Champions!
The National Finals will be held at Churchill College, Cambridge, on Sunday April 30. There will be two semi-finals in the morning, followed by a Grand Final in the afternoon.
We can’t wait to see how our team gets on - best of luck, Jemima, Lewis and Evie!
