During the Learn@Home Program, students continued to train and prepare for both the internal and external online public speaking competitions with our students demonstrating considerable tenacity.

Mooting Online

Donned in robes and sitting in front of a background of a court, Legal Studies teacher, Mr John Novak, looked every part the presiding judge preparing to question Senior and Junior Counsels in our Moot.

On Tuesday 19 May, we held our internal online Mooting Competition. Representing the Appellant were Year 12 students, Jennifer Madgwick as Senior Counsel; Sophie Hogan as Junior Counsel; and Tess Hogan as Solicitor. Representing the Respondent were Year 11 students, Fleur Anstee as Senior Counsel; Allegra Dennison as Junior Counsel; and Victoria Patsakos as Solicitor.

Overcoming any courtroom jitters, both teams quickly settled into presenting their arguments and fielding regular questions from the bench designed to test their understanding of the Moot problem, the Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW), and precedent cases.

Having previously submitted their Brief of Submissions, students were well prepared for the ensuing process of legal argument that took place between themselves and the judge.

Strong individual performances all round were demonstrated with Best Oralist being awarded to Sophie Hogan, and the Appellant Team winning the Moot.

I am grateful to the time and work put into preparing our students by Mr John Novak, whose expertise has been very welcome this year. Our students have been carefully trained by Mr Novak over the course of six weeks, and now have a much greater grasp of the skills of legal argument through participating in our Moot.

Our Year 12 students are also able to apply for the Judge John Newton Scholarship to Bond University which commences in January 2021. Applications will close on Sunday 6 September 2020. Interested students should see Ms Keratiotis for more information.

Rotary and VCAA: PESA

On Wednesday 20 May, we held the Rotary: Ainger Peck Public Speaking Award internally online, which saw Year 12 students, Sophie Hogan and Amelia Sun, as well as Year 11 student, Allegra Dennison, compete. I was privileged to be able to hear and adjudicate speeches from all three students who were able to deliver content which resonated with them personally and profoundly.

Strong intellectual content made up the fabric of both Sophie and Allegra’s speeches. Sophie argued that prior to COVID 19, music was at risk of being relegated to being on the fringes of our lives as a source of entertainment only, but has since become a uniting force reinforcing a sense of community both locally and internationally.

Allegra argued the need for our prison system to prioritise rehabilitation of prisoners over retribution and punishment; her research revealed that we have much to learn from the example of Norway which advocates providing prisoners with the skills to help them reintegrate into society at the end of their sentences.

Amelia spoke evocatively of her recent personal experience of returning home to Wuhan over the summer holidays, only to find herself at the centre of a changed world upon her return to Australia. After being required to stay in lockdown for a month in China, she was required to self-isolate for two weeks on Christmas Island prior to re-entering Australia. Speaking movingly and reflectively of the unfounded fears projected onto her as a someone connected with Wuhan, Amelia issued a salient message to critics to think before they judge ordinary people during the current pandemic. Her thoughtful and moving speech saw her awarded the winner of the Rotary competition.

Following this competition, both Allegra and Amelia extended and refined their speeches further and competed in the VCAA: Plain English Speaking Award. At the time of writing this article both students were waiting for results from this competition which took place online via a live video conference.

I have been impressed by the focus and tenacity of our students who have continued to train for both the internal and external online public speaking competitions, always keeping sight of their goal of refining their public speaking skills. I thank Mr Paul Gilby and Mr Darren Plunkett for their preparation, coaching and guidance of our students, and their support of our public speaking program.