9TH PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION

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 “.

The Lord Lieutenant with pupils from all four schools taking part in the competition .

Posted by Gavin Whitefield