The ninth public speaking competition for schools in Lanarkshire, organised by the Lanarkshire Lieutenancy, was held on 23rd October 2024 at the Rutherglen Town Hall with the following schools taking part:
Hamilton College School
St Aiden’s High School
St Maurice’s High School
Uddingston Grammar School
Three pupils from each team spoke on the subject of ” Citizenship in our Schools and Community ” and then answered questions posed by two pupils from another team .
The judging panel was chaired by Former Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire Gibby Cox CVO MBE and also included :
Marion White MBE Director of fatBuzz, Marketing Agency ;
Paul Cooney Chief Executive of The Kiltwalk ; and
Rt Hon Adam Ingram , Retired MP and Government Minister .
The competition was opened and closed by an excellent musical program from St Aiden’s High School which was enjoyed very much by everyone in attendance .
The standards achieved by all schools taking part in the public speaking competition were again exceptional focussing on the importance of citizenship and the benefits of immigration to the country . Winners of the trophy, presented by Lord Lieutenant Lady Haughey CBE were the St Aiden’s High School team of :
Emily Traynor
Paige Brown
Sarah Grubb
Claire Kelly
Lucia Chiriac ; along with teachers Beth McDowall , Eilish Brand and Deputy Lieutenant Linda McDowall DL who mentored the team.
Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire Lady Haughey CBE said ” Many congratulations again to the four schools taking part in this competition , all of the pupils participating should be very proud of their achievements and they were certainly all a credit to their respective schools .
Special thanks are due to South Lanarkshire Council for hosting the event ,organiser Andy Braidwood DL, master of ceremonies Sheriff Robert Dickson DL and John McKenzie DL who has been the driving force behind this initiative and ensured it’s continuing growth and success , the judging panel and education staff who all worked so well as a team contributing to the success of the event “.