Speaking in front of a group of people, even a small one, is a crucial skill in today’s world, and we at MJG High School strongly believe in fostering this ability in all of our students.
At MJG High School, all grade 1 and 2 students take part in the annual speech contest. This is not an event for just a select group of students; every single student participates, regardless of their English level or confidence in public speaking. The contest is designed to challenge students to step out of their comfort zones and build confidence through practice and performance.
This year, students prepared not only speeches but also slides with pictures and text to support their topics. The first round featured all 506 students presenting in their groups. From there, 140 students advanced to the class finals, where they refined their speeches and competed for a place in the final. The top 20 students moved on to the grand final, held in Keimon Hall on December 19, from 13:25 to 15:10. The atmosphere in the hall was electrifying, as classmates, teachers, and other staff gathered to watch the students perform. The audience showed incredible enthusiasm, listening attentively, reacting with laughter or applause at appropriate moments, and even interacting with some of the speakers during their presentations.
In preparation for the final, the students were coached by five dedicated English teachers: Mr. Hayashi, Mr. Kido, Mr. Adarsh, Mr. Kelleher, and Mr. Vlad. Some students chose to create entirely new topics, while others expanded their speeches from 100-150 words to 200-250 words. All finalists prepared a slide with pictures and keywords in English and Japanese, making their speeches more accessible to everyone in the audience. Thanks to their hard work and coaching, the finalists delivered polished speeches with confidence and without relying on scripts.
The contest was judged by a panel of seven teachers, led by Vice Principal Goto, who carefully evaluated the speeches on criteria: clarity, content, pronunciation, and delivery. Despite the length of the event, Mr. Oto, head of Grade 1, remarked, “Even though it was a long contest, it was never boring.” The level of the speeches was so high that many judges and teachers expressed how impressed they were by the students’ growth and dedication.
The winners of this year’s contest are:
Gold (1st place): Ruka Ogata, Satomi Yanase
Silver (2nd place): Haruhi Fuji, Naomi Tsuda
Bronze (3rd place): Kai Ikeda, Sakigake Baba
Students’ Choice: Mana Fukunaga
As Principal Tanaka often says, “The students’ abilities improve every year, and we must improve the quality of our lessons and events to match.” This year’s contest clearly demonstrated the continuous improvement of the students, as well as the school’s commitment to helping them grow.
