Students from senior schools across the Clifton Diocese, together with teachers, family and friends, assembled at the Newman Hall in Bristol on Sunday afternoon 1st March for this year’s event. The judging panel was chaired by Nick Tarr, a member of Bristol Catenian Circle. The other members of the panel were Headteacher Clare Fraser and Sara Marsh, a solicitor. They are pictured here before the start of the contest.
The ten speakers were introduced by Chris Cherry, who was MC for the event. Each speaker was allowed four minutes to speak on their chosen subject. Judges and audience were entertained to interesting speeches on various topics.
After the speeches, refreshments were served while the judges conferred. During the interval, the audience was told about the Catenian Bursary Fund. This Fund assists young Catholics, between the ages of 16 and 24, actively to involve themselves in projects for the benefit of the community, at home or abroad. Grants are awarded according to the merits of each individual application and those students present were encouraged to apply if they undertake such a project in future. The Catenian Bursary Fund. Make a Difference.
The chair of the judging panel then commented on the speeches. He reminded the audience of the importance of being able to communicate effectively as presentation skills are valuable both in work and in life more generally. All the speeches were interesting, and a good deal of thought had clearly been put into their preparation. The panel had carefully considered all the speeches.
A standout winner was found in Awele Obinna-Onunkwo, a student at Downside School, whose topic was “Is the pen really mightier than the sword?” Second placed was Ilana Jones of St Augustine’s College. Two students tied equal in third place: Jamie Palmer of St Brendan’s College and Eloise Pickett of Downside School. It has been said that all contestants are actually winners in a way, as they all benefit from the experience, whether they are placed or not.
Jim Creamer, President of the Bristol Catenian Circle, presented each competitor with a certificate and a reward for taking part. The overall winner was pleased to receive the Province 12 Trophy and will be invited to the national final which will be held in Manchester in September.
The Catenian Association likes to advance the interests of young people. In support of this, public speaking contests are arranged by local Catenian groups around the country for students in Catholic Education. The Bristol Circle has been arranging these contests for over 50 years: the first year that the trophy was awarded was 1970. These contests provide opportunities for students at our Catholic schools to contribute to the debate and also to listen to and learn from each other.
The Catenian Association is grateful to the teachers, who gave so much of their time working with the students, and to all those who supported and encouraged them in their endeavours. We hope that all who took part benefitted from the experience.
