Japanese Speech Competition
Three of our students – Catherine Fu (Year 11), Holly Trang (Year 10), and Raphael Roch (Year 8) – recently had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the annual Japanese Speech Competition, representing our school and showcasing their Japanese language skills.
The competition provided students with a valuable opportunity to expand and improve their Japanese beyond the classroom. Preparing and delivering their speeches challenged students to develop their vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and fluency, while encouraging them to step outside their comfort zones and challenge their own language abilities. Students also had the opportunity to meet and interact with like-minded students from schools across Victoria who share their enthusiasm for Japanese language and culture. They enjoyed listening to a diverse range of speeches, learning from other participants and making new connections.
We are incredibly proud of all students who participated and congratulate them on their achievements!
Mr Steven Bina
Senior
On Sunday, 23rd August, I participated in the annual Japanese Language Speech Contest of Victoria, and was honoured to achieve 2nd place in the High School Division. In my speech, entitled ‘My Grandmother’s Words’, I spoke about how my journey of language loss and gain has helped shaped what language means to me. A meaning that was exemplified throughout the day, as I listened to and learnt from the experiences shared in the contestants’ speeches. I loved being able to connect with Japanese Language learners from other schools, and left with not only a sense of fulfilment, but an inspiration to continue working hard in my Japanese studies. A big thank you to Mizuno-Sensei, for her help in my speech refinement and pronunciation, and especially to Bina-Sensei, for his assistance over these past two months in writing and rehearsing my speech – and for coming to support me on the day.
Catherine Fu
Junior
On Sunday 30th August, I participated in the year 9/10 division of the JLTAV Japanese Junior Speech Competition, where I performed a set speech and a personal speech at the Hawthorn Arts Centre. The set speech was on cosplay and my personal speech was on my trip to Vietnam during the summer holidays. To be honest, I doubted myself and thought that I would mess up horribly. It was daunting standing in front of a huge crowd, but with the support of Mr Bina and other students participating, I managed to execute my speech smoothly. While I did not place, I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to extend my Japanese and meet like-minded individuals! ありがとうございました !
Holly Trang
The Japanese speech competition was a really fun and eventful experience filled with challenges and fun times. It took a while to prepare with writing my speech and memorising everything but it was also exciting trying to work out what to write about in my speech. Participating in this speech also improved my Japanese skills a ton. All in all I had a great time doing the speech competition and it was a very valuable experience.
Raphael Roch