High School Speech Contest 2012
Here are pictures from the high school speech contest in 2012. The pictures aren't super because the camera was on the wrong setting. Sorry about that!
Date: 18:41｜Permalink｜Author：nelp
Speech Contest January 2012
A couple of my NELP students and a couple of our SELP students went to a speech contest on Saturday. Unfortunately, I couldn't go because I had my Seishin English Hills Elementary School lessons that day, and so Matthew went with the students. The mother of one of my students took these photos. I'm happy to say that all the students did very well.
Date: 10:32｜Permalink｜Author：nelp
Joto and Reischauer 2011
Here are the pictures from the Joto Speech Contest.
One of my second graders and one of my third graders both went to the Joto Speech Contest this year. They both did really well, and I was very proud of both of them. My third grader did a fantastic job and earned one of the two 2nd prizes.
Two of my third graders and one of my second graders gave speeches at the Reischauer Speech Contest. One of my second graders gave a recitation, and one SELP third grader and one SELP first grader also gave recitations.
I was unfortunately unable to go because I was giving a seminar to students interested in taking the NELP test.
My third graders got third place and fifth place in the original section, and my second grader got third place in the recitation section. I'm really proud of all of them.
Date: 20:48｜Permalink｜Author：nelp
Seiran Trophy
Last Sunday I went to Kitakyushu University for the Seiran Trophy Speech Contest. I'm happy to say that my student won first prize there.
Here are the photos
Date: 23:20｜Permalink｜Author：nelp
Kurashiki Mayor's Cup
On October 8, I went to the Kurashiki Mayor's Cup with one of my 3rd grade students. As always, the contest was very well-organized. The level was really high and there were a lot of really great speeches. I'm sad to say my student didn't win a prize, but I was still proud of her performance. Her pronunciation, presentation skills and confidence have improved a LOT during the last two years.
Here are a few pictures:
Date: 21:55｜Permalink｜Author：nelp
Speech Contests
Yesterday, two of my high school first graders went to speech contests. Brian went with one of my high schoolers to the 5th All Japan High School English Speech Contest preliminary at Kurashiki Minami High school, where she won 2nd Prize! She'll go on to the next round!
I went with the other student to the Notre Dame Trophy English Speech Contest at Notre Dame Seishin University, where she shared the Excellent Prize (like 2nd place) with another student whose speech was also really great. I was SO impressed by all the students. It was a VERY high level contest.
Here's a picture taken by my student's mother.
Date: 19:16｜Permalink｜Author：nelp
The 4th All Japan High School English Speech Contest
On Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th, I was in Tokyo with one of my first grade students for the finals of the 4th All Japan High School English Speech Contest. There were 18 finalists from all over Japan. It was an AMAZING contest. Every speech was a "winning" speech that had won two preliminary rounds, a prefectural contest and an area contest, before coming to Tokyo. I was SO amazed by the quality of the speeches and the skills of the speakers. At this level of contest, it seems to me that winning is no longer about one speech being necessarily better than another, but rather about which specific qualities the judges felt outweighed the others. Every speech, naturally, had some room for improvement, but every speech was so fantastic, and every speaker performed so well, that it was a great experience.
By far the thing that I felt was best about this contest was that the contestants had the opportunity to socialize with these great students from around Japan, and it was heartwarming to see the students making friends, eating together, laughing, and at the end, exchanging e-mail addresses and phone numbers, hugging and promising to call or write.
I met some really great and interesting teachers, and I hope very much to see them again. My student's mother took this photo!
Date: 18:11｜Permalink｜Author：nelp
Reischauer and Joto 2010
This year, I took two students to the Joto High School Speech Contest, one NELP second grader and one NELP third grader. Both did original speeches and I was very proud of both of them. They both gave good performances and did their best. Neither of them went to the final round, and I'm naturally feel badly for them, but I'm very satisfied with how well they did. The Joto High School speech contest was very high level this year, and there were many outstanding speakers with outstanding speeches.
I also took seven students to the Reischauer Speech Contest, two second grade NELP students and one third grade SELP student for the recitation section, two third grade NELP students for the original speech section, and two SELP third graders who did an original skit. Of these students only one of the students, a second grader, advanced to the final round for the recitation section, ultimately winning 5th place.
Still, I was deeply proud of all them. Again, I wish we could have done better, but I'm proud of all of all of the girls for how well they did.
I do wish that the judges at the Reischauer contest had given comments at the end. I would have been interested to know the judging criteria by which the winners were chosen.
Anyway, here are pictures from the two contests.
In addition I was also VERY happy that one of my high school first grade NELP students passed the Chugoku preliminary for the All Japan High School English Speech Contest and will go on to the final round in Tokyo in February 2011.
Date: 17:51｜Permalink｜Author：nelp
Kurashiki Mayor's Cup
One of my junior high school third grade students recently participated in the Kurashiki Mayor's Cup Speech Contest.
Although my student did very well, and delivered her speech very naturally, she unfortunately did not win any prizes. There's a line in her speech "Will the judges get what I'm trying to say?" Apparently not.
Her speech was an inventive 'message' speech about not giving up, even in the face of criticism, difficulty or imperfection. I liked the fact that her speech didn't attempt to bludgeon the audience to DO SOMETHING about a current social issue. Instead, it was about having self-confidence. In that sense, I can understand how the low-key message in her speech might have flown right past the judges, who might be of the opinion that her speech was ONLY about giving a speech.
Still, I'm very proud of my student for her development of her performance and speaking skills.
Date: 16:19｜Permalink｜Author：nelp
H.I.H. Prince Takamado Trophy
On October 10, one of my third grade NELP students and two SELP students went to the H.I.H. Prince Takamado Trophy, the 62nd All Japan Inter-Middle English Oratorical Contest.
Although one of the SELP students who participated in the recitation section unfortunately did not win a prize, the other SELP student got one of the gold prizes in the recitation section.
My third grade student got first prize in the speech section, and so she will go to Tokyo this year for the finals. I'm really proud of her.
Here are some pictures:
Date: 18:43｜Permalink｜Author：nelp
Speech Contests
On September 25th, two of my junior high school 3rd Grade students went to the 6th Annual Junior High School Presentation Contest hosted by Okayama Gakugeikan High School.
I'm very, very pleased to say that my two very hard-working students won 1st and 2nd place in the contest.
On September 26th, two of my high school NELP students attended the 4th English Speech Contest for High School Students in Okayama hosted by Kurashiki Minami High school.
I'm very please to say that these two very hard-working students both went to the final round. One of my students, as a finalist, won one of the 4th place prizes, while my other student won first place!
Date: 18:54｜Permalink｜Author：nelp