Rotary Public Speaking and Debating 

It’s that time of the year again where the Rotarians call for the voices of the future to express themselves at the annual Rotary Public Speaking Competition. Looking to make their mark in the world of Public Speaking and Debate, Kew House in their maiden competition, fielded two strong teams across the intermediate and senior levels.  

At the Intermediate level, Kew House enjoyed immense success, looking to win the Borough final and progress into the District Final. The team was made up of Darcey Ewart, Rosie Hodgkinson and Zoya Bhatnagar, delivering professionalism, wonderful rhetoric and charisma as they debated whether Disney is toxic for society. It was the Clash of the Titans – perfectionism vs passion, and the real winners were the audience, privileged to witness such a display of oratory ability, intellect and forward thinking. In the end the Kew House intermediate team won the event and can proudly label themselves as Borough Champions as they move on to the District Final in February. While small in stature, this team certainly showed they were big in character and voice. 

Our Senior team was made up of Katie Beck, Joshua Wright and Lucy Prest – debating the motion The World No Longer Needs Religion. An enticing topic with Lucy’s beautifully written speech and powerful emotion, sandwiched by Joshua’s audacious and energised counter and Katie’s inspiring conclusion. Kew House were against some stalwarts in the public speaking world, competing against last year’s national semi-finalists. The team were impeccable and narrowly missed out on qualification for the District Final but Katie did win Best Chairperson, with Joshua winning Best Proposition Speaker and Lucy was given special recognition for one of the highest scores from an Opposition Speaker ever recorded at this stage of the competition.  

Debate, public speaking and finding your voice is at the heart of Mr Sheehan’s vision for the sixth form and Kew House as a whole. Events like these combined with the exciting new Debate Club and Year 12 Cambridge Debating is just the beginning of an exciting chapter.