VICTORY PARK – On 5 March, eight bold Grade 8 learners from De La Salle Holy Cross College participated in the open section of the 58th annual Speech and Drama College of South Africa’s Public Speaking Competition, along with Hoërskool Linden and Hoërskool Florida.
With public speaking being considered as a number one fear to millions of people across the world, it was certainly no fear for the De La Salle Holy Cross College Grade 8 public speaking team.
The eight learners were divided into two teams of four speakers each. The first comprised of Tayba Sallie, Grace Joughin, Rufaro Shava, and Carlos Magalhaes while team two included Thembelihle Mahlale, Diego De Abreu, Daniel Wundram, and Amy-Jo Pheiffer.
The competition started on 11 February for opening teams and finals will be held on 9 April this year. For about five decades high school learners have participated in this national event which equips learners with real-world skills, being more confident, able to listen effectively and to express themselves more clearly. Speech and drama also improve abstract thinking, mathematical ability, literacy and social integration.
Caitlyn Morris, English teacher at the college said, “Both teams performed excellently, with plenty of praise from the adjudicator, scoring them A+s. An A+ is the highest result you can achieve at the festival.
“The festival has been running for 58 years and this year 108 schools, in Johannesburg alone, are participating in the five-week-long festival. We are incredibly proud of our speakers.”
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