Today we had our finals for the Junior High School speech contest.

 

Students have been working so hard on their speeches over the last few weeks. What is more surprising is that they weren’t told by the teachers to do them. They did it all by themselves. We saw the students mumbling their speeches in between classes and recess. The chosen representatives, who have won the previous rounds, were ready to fight for their classmates. Not all junior high school students could fit in the hall, so they prayed for their classmates victory from their classrooms via live video. 

 

There were 4 tough judges to mark all aspects of their speech. Also from this year, the students were given an opportunity to use pictures to show on the screen. You can imagine how difficult this must have been for the challengers.

 

We also welcomed the sixth graders to hear the speeches. They all sat quietly, and looked interested in their elders’ speeches. We were able to tell how much they respected the elders as they quiet themselves down before the next speaker starts. In AMICUS we know how important it is to give our opinions, but more importantly, we know how to listen to each other.

 

The winning topic was “Our Talkative World”, a simple topic delivered in a very analytical way. Followingly, “USJ vs Disneyland” which came second, “Exterminating Cockroaches” for third place. Extra two awards, The Principal’s Award went to “The importance of Traditional Languages”, and the JALT Representative Award to “Your Future Dream”. There were quite a few interesting ones like “Eternal Life” which gave us a deep moral insight towards our long-lasting lives, and the “Google Will Destroy Libraries”, and “Teens and Smartphones” the two inspiring speeches which reminds how to coordinate with the surrounding technologies. 

 

This year it was really a close battle among the competitors, and I think the Junior High School students set a good example for the younger students. Thank you junior high school students!!! I hope this became a good experience experience for you all!!!