This festival, affectionately known as Challenge at the College, is an annual event in which 110 schools and over 3 300 speakers participate, is the zenith of Public Speaking at high school level in South Africa. And so, it is with great pleasure and admiration that we congratulate our brilliant Challenge speakers on, once again, being crowned the overall winners of this festival. This is a truly remarkable achievement which is a testament to the exceptional ability our students possess, as well as the dedication and long hours of hard work they put into delivering presentations of the highest standards. This was not our students’ only outstanding achievement. Our impromptu teams, who truly are the kings and queens of the art of public speaking, were also crowned as the winners of this section of the festival. This is no mean feat as the impromptu groups are only given 30 minutes to prepare a 10-minute cohesive, and enthralling speech. The individual brilliance, which needs to be synchronised with other members of the team, speaks to the true skills that exemplify public speaking. Congratulations to you all! You have made us proud.

The praise does not end there though… Our senior prepared teams were also crowned the overall winners of their section of the festival. These speakers represent the true ethos of group work and sacrifice as they have to put in countless hours of practice to ensure they meet the strictest of criteria. Our senior prepared teams showcased these very qualities by all achieving A+ grades – a first for the College. To these students: Your hard work and dedication have made us incredibly proud. Well done!

Having congratulated the groups who won their sections of the festival, we also have to congratulate our junior prepared teams, our trophy team, and our individual speaker, as they all performed brilliantly and contributed greatly to the College’s collective score. Without their continuous devotion, sacrificing endless hours of their time, and presenting stellar speeches, the College could not have been crowned as the overall winners. Thank you, and congratulations on your excellent achievements!

Lastly, it is incumbent upon me to thank a few special people who made these marvellous results possible. Firstly, I would like to thank Ms Judelsohn and Ms Jiwa, my fellow English teachers and organisers of public speaking activities at the College. Your support for our teams and assistance in accompanying our teams to events is truly appreciated. You lightened my load and gave me peace of mind. I must also thank Ms Pincus, our coach, for all she has done for our students and the College. Ms Pincus is truly a legend in the public speaking community, and her loyalty and steadfast dedication to the College plays an integral part in our students’ success in Public Speaking. We cannot thank you enough for all the early mornings and even the weekends that you have sacrificed for our students.

Congratulations to every public speaker involved in Challenge on achieving greatness this year. You have made us so incredibly proud, and we hope to see you do it again next year.

Mr De Beer (Public Speaking Co-ordinator)

Left to Right: Aston Jordan, Nour Al Zahraa Ahmad, Masego Nkadimeng, Jenna Purkiss, Jessica Levien, Bohlale Molokomme and Samiya Maharaj

Left to Right: Bohlale Molokomme, Masego Nkadimeng and Jenna Purkiss

Left to Right: Samiya Maharaj, Jessica Levien, Nour Al Zahraa Ahmad and Aston Jordan