Public Speaking “Speak like a PRO” is part of the junior and senior English curriculum. This year, four students (4C Peggy Jesslyn Li, 4C Chloe Cheuk Yu Au, 4D Yuet Kiu Caron Fung and 2B Janice Yan Kiu Leung) advanced to the semi-final of the senior secondary and junior secondary sections among 3,000 contestants in the preliminary round. 4C Peggy Li further made her way to the final round outstanding a thousand other contestants.
On July 15, 2023, Peggy’s stage presence charisma impressed the judges, and was awarded the Best Manner Award for her outstanding presentation skills and courteous demeanor throughout the competition. Our school was also granted the Most Active School Participation Award.
“I (Peggy) was not eager to join the contest in April as I had never participated in a speech contest before. I knew it would be a great challenge for me.
I spent a lot of time working on my script and practicing my speech. I felt nervous and had butterflies in my stomach before the semi-final and final rounds. I was so anxious that I couldn’t sleep before the final round.
When I arrived at the venue, I met many fellow contestants who were outstanding English speakers. I immediately felt nervous.
However, my nausea disappeared unexpectedly when I went up to the stage. I took a deep breath and started my speech. I felt like I was sharing a story instead of giving a speech. There was also an impromptu speech and Q&A session after my prepared speech, which worried me the most. Nevertheless, I tried to enjoy the stage and ended up speaking confidently.
Winning the Best Manner Award was totally unexpected, and I was shocked when I learned that I had won. The contest made me realize that stage fright can be overcome.”
