Public Speaking Opportunities Abound for Students

Posted on 04/20/2023

At the Regular Meeting of the Board on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, trustees, student senators, staff, and others in attendance observed three excellent speeches exemplifying the many public speaking opportunities available to students throughout Bluewater District School Board.

Presenting their award-winning speeches from recent local competitions were Holly McBride (Holland-Chatsworth Central School), Madison Hammell (Arran-Tara Elementary School), and Ashlynn Lantz (John Diefenbaker Senior School).  View their speeches here (7-minute, 25-second mark):



Oral language is a fundamental component of the Language curriculum from kindergarten to Grade 12.  Through oral language, students explore concepts, deepen their understanding of ideas, defend and clarify their opinions, identify and solve problems, organize their thoughts and experiences, and explore their feelings and emotions.  Students learn to communicate appropriately to their audience about a given topic using the formal precepts of oral language.

The Language curriculum, in both English and French, includes an overall expectation focused on speaking skills and strategies for effective communication with different audiences, and for a variety of purposes.  Researching, writing, and presenting speeches enables students to explore a personal topic of interest, summarize and synthesize their ideas, articulate a point of view, and inform, convince, and/or entertain their listeners.

Through the support and generosity of organizations such as the Royal Canadian Legion, Bruce County Council, Grey County Federation of Agriculture, Canadian Parents for French Ontario, and others, students across the district have had the opportunity to showcase their public speaking skills in formal regional competitions along with school contests and class learning activities.  In early May, students from the Concours French public speaking contest will represent Bluewater District School Board at a provincial competition to be held at York University.

Bluewater District School Board would like to thank community partners, judges, teachers, and schools for their ongoing support in providing students with an opportunity to further develop their oral communication skills.