Pupil of Windsor Primary School wins Grade 5 Public Speaking Competition

Last Thursday marked a milestone in the life of fifth grader, Matthew Washington.

For the Windsor Primary School student, it was not just the day that he won the Ministry of Education and National Insurance Services Grade Five Public Speaking Competition, but it was also the day that he won his first trophy ever.{{more}}

“I feel happy that I actually got my first trophy. This is the first trophy that I’ve actually gotten in my life,” Washington told SEARCHLIGHT.

The studious lad took home with him not one, not two, but three trophies after he captured the title for Best Prepared Speech, where he addressed the topic, “All school buillies should be removed and placed in a separate institution designed to address their needs” and Best Impromptu Speech, when he confidently spoke on his chosen topic, “Three wonderful things about me.”

Washington was also the overall winner of the competition.

Like most of the other competitors in the prepared speech, the 10-year-old did not think that bullies should be placed in a separate institution, as it would only make the problem worse by taking them away from a regular school setting.

In his animated delivery, Washington proposed that in a separate setting, bullies would learn from one another and come up with worse ways to harass their peers.

While he describes the preparation process as tiring, Washington urged students to be “calm, cool and collected” when entering a public speaking competition.

“Make sure you’re talking, not just remembering and recording,” he said, as he encouraged future public speakers to actively engage their audience during their presentation.

Washington’s mother, Dr Ingrid Lewis, is extremely happy with her son’s performance. Lewis, told SEARCHLIGHT that her son would usually come home, do his homework and after dinner, he would spend some time practising his speech.

“I feel really happy because I know how much it means to him. I know he wanted to win a trophy and I kept telling him that once he did his very best, that’s what would make me happy. So, all in all, I am just happy with his performance,” she said.

Second place in the Grade Five Public Speaking Competition was taken by Tyneisha Samuel of the Pamelus Burke Government School, while Shanez Bynoe of the Georgetown Secondary School was able to capture the third position.

Other participants included Destra Browne of the Sandy Bay Government School, Nichola Lewis of the Kingstown Anglican School and Nathaniel Slater of the Clare Valley Government School.(BK)