Country Day School to host international public speaking competition

October 15, 2013 · 0 Comments

The Country Day School (CDS) will be hosting the 33rd Annual International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Competition (IISPSC) from Oct. 17-20 at the Kingbridge Conference Centre in King City.
This prestigious event will draw more than 150 high school students and their coaches, from 48 schools representing eight different countries, including Peru, India, England, Germany, Pakistan, Bermuda, the U.S. and Canada.
The finals will take place on Sunday, Oct. 20 in the Performing Arts Centre at The Country Day School.
Close to 300 judges will be needed for the first three days of competition: Oct. 17-19. Members of the community are encouraged to come out and experience this exciting opportunity. No experience is required, it is highly entertaining, and volunteers will be given a full briefing at the start of each day.
During the four-day competition, students’ intellectual might and ability to think on their feet will be put to the test as each student competes in three of nine possible categories, spanning two styles of debate to various impromptu and prepared public speaking categories.
The competition will be stiff, the creative wit sharp, and the stakes high. Students have been preparing for this event for months, and in the end, only a handful will be selected to represent their school and country at the World Public Speaking Championships held in Lithuania in April 2014.
CDS will have three students participating in this year’s event, including Natalie Ganzhorn, a Grade 10 student from Aurora and last year’s Canadian National Junior Champion and top under-15 speaker at the 2013 World Championships held in Durban, South Africa. Natalie will be competing in three categories: Impromptu Speaking, Persuasive Speaking and Dramatic Interpretation.
Ganzhorn said it’s an amazing opportunity to learn from fellow competitors and a great chance to make friends from around the world.
“My personal strategy going into the competition will be to practise as much as I can. The more prepared I am, the more confident I will be throughout the competition.”
Lukas Weese, a Grade 12 student from Aurora, will also compete in three categories: Radio Newscast, After-Dinner Speaking and Extemporaneous. At last year’s IISPSC in Calgary, Lukas finished first overall in Radio Newscast and took home the glass trophy for his Impromptu performance.
“It is a true honour to represent my school and Canada in this event. The Country Day School has done so many amazing things for me to develop my intellectual and social skills that I feel it is my responsibility to give back to them by participating in something I love to do,” Weese said.
“For me, my personal strategy is to do my best in all three of my events. I know there are a lot of great individuals at this competition who can communicate eloquently, so it’s important for me personally to not get overly confident and just deliver my speeches to the best of my ability. I am very superstitious so it is important for me not to guarantee anything and just approach every task with an optimistic attitude.”
Another veteran, Jai Singh, a Grade 12 student from Newmarket, will compete in Dramatic Interpretation, Impromptu Speaking and Persuasive Speaking.
“The Country Day School has changed me as an individual since I first came to the school. This was where I first discovered and nurtured my love of drama, debating and public speaking.”
Singh plans to improvise to a great degree.
“I just try to go in there and do my best. I may not be the most talented, or funny, but one thing that I strive for is determination, and that determination is what is going to keep me rolling through the competition.”
Tournament coordinator and CDS English and drama teacher, Kerstin Wyndham-West, has coached public speaking and debating at CDS for 19 years.
“The Country Day School is thrilled and honoured to be this year’s host of the prestigious IISPSC,” said Wyndham-West. “The three CDS competitors have plenty of public speaking and debating experience under their belts.”
Pickering College and St. Andrew’s College will also have teams represented at the upcoming competition, as will a number of Toronto schools, including St. Clement’s School, University of Toronto Schools, Royal St. George’s College and The York School.
Visitors will be staying at the Kingbridge Centre for the duration of the event, with a few overseas teams being billeted with CDS families.
This is an exciting opportunity for local community members to get involved in judging an international event.
The event runs Oct. 17, 6-10 p.m.; Oct. 18, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Oct. 19, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For more information or to register, visit www.cds.on.ca/iispsc, email iispsc@cds.on.ca or call 905-833-3640.