Public Speaking
Orator of the Year Award Years 7-10
At Years 7 - 10, all students present a prepared speech to the class as part of their English programme. Finalists are chosen from each class for the Orator of the Year Award which is judged by two adjudicators. The English Department thanks all the teachers who assisted with the adjudication. Certainly, students at Ruyton are well versed in the art of Public Speaking, as demonstrated in their confident presentations, articulate delivery and control over the spoken word. We congratulate all girls on their achievements.
| Year 8 Winner: Charlotte Jones Highly Commended: Annabel Rodway
Finalists: Angela Liu, Victoria Joughlin, Emma Cadywould, Jessica Wat, Rebecca Clayton |
| Year 9 Winner: Natasha Kotsimbos Highly Commended: Sarala Baskaran, Imogen Walsh Finalists: Natalie Gnoato, Sarah Davey, Aljali Bethune, Eishi Bandara |
| Year 10 Co-Winners: Nicaela Dwight, Jacqui Evans Finalists: Lauren Markopoulos, Tatiana Kotsimbos, Kirsty Ha, Tenille Rollnick, Katherine Nolan, Kate Elkington |
The Suzanne Northey Award (Year 11) and the Alan Patterson Award (Year 12)
In Years 11 and 12, competitors are required to present a prepared speech (6 minutes) on a subject of their own choice and an impromptu speech (2 minutes) with six minutes preparation time.
The Impromptu Topics were 'Heroes .. who are they?' (Year 11) and 'The Future ... where next?' (Year 12).
The Public Speaking competitions were co-adjudicated by Mrs Taylor and Mr Zavatterio.
We congratulate all students on their achievements.
Year 11: The Suzanne Northey Award
Winner: Beryl Yan
Highly Commended: Madeleine Cleeve Gerkens, Ella Pleasant (Prepared Speech)
Madeleine Reilly, Claire McBride (Impromptu Speech)
Commended: Sarah Whelan, Julia Hendy, Lucy Rimmer
Year 12: The Alan Patterson Award
Finalists: Yoshitha Bandara, Jaclyn Money, Cara Patterson,
Highly Commended: Alessandra Di Natale
Participation: Charlotte Malon, Lily Poulier, Anna Olayos, Siobhan Harris, Marie Kelly
Grand Final
The Grand Final was co-adjudicated by Mrs Jennifer Nicholls (Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School) and Mrs Suzanne Northey (Patron of Public Speaking).
Winner of the Alan Patterson Award 2009: Cara Patterson
Plain English Speaking Award (PESA)
The Plain English Speaking Award is a prestigious competition which is run at state, national and international levels. Since 2003, the VCAA has been co-ordinating the event for Victoria. Students are required to present a prepared speech of six minutes on a subject of their choice and an impromptu speech of three minutes on a subject chosen by the VCAA. Two Year 12 students competed in the Regional Finals, Yoshitha Bandara and Cara Patterson, and Cara went on to compete in the State Semi-Finals held at the Treasury Theatre. We congratulate both students on their achievements.
Creative Writing
The Isobelle Carmody Award for Creative Writing
Our annual competition, now in its sixteenth year, is named after Isobelle Carmody, our Patron of Creative Writing, who is one of Australia’s most famous writers of fantasy for young readers. Over the years, Isobelle has been closely involved with the School, as judge, guest speaker and writer in residence. Each year, our competition is judged by a published author and this year we welcomed Penni Russon as our judge for 2009. Awards are given by the judge for the best writing at each year level and the "Isobelle Carmody Award for Excellence" is given for the overall School winner. We can look forward to seeing the winning stories published in Scripsi, the English Department's Literary Magazine.
| Year 8 Winner: Betty Xiong: Frozen Memories Highly Commended: Kaitlin Fletcher: The Boundaries of Trust Commended: India Caudry: Afraid of the Dark Merit: Jasmine Hoban, Michaela Brown, Sarah Heywood, Zoe Hutton, Shuxi Wang, Janet Davey, Annabel Rodway |
| Year 9 Winner: Jennifer McFarland: Chimney Soot and Sea Spray Highly Commended: Gabrielle Testen: 'Til Death Do Us Part Commended: Tess Gardiner: Run Notable: Anjali Bethune, Tallulah Butcher Merit: Natasha Kotsimbos, Sarala Baskaran, Rylie Wallace, Madeleine Nash, Jennifer Guo |
| Year 10 Winner: Michell Ye: No Time to Talk about Roses Highly Commended: Tenille Rollnik: Empty Commended: Olivia Fowler: That First Look Notable: Caley Jowers, Kirsty Ha Merit: Natalie Kourtis, Amelia Lachal, Georgia Armstrong, Lucy O'Neal, Emily Scott, Georgina Baker, Chloe Irwin |
| Year 11 Joint Winners: Ella Pleasant: Anja and Anne, Meghan Tucker: A Chance Passed By Highly Commended: Madeleine Shard: Red Commended: Beryl Yan: Memory Merit: Emma Ulrick, Sara Hogan, Stephanie Waters, Tamsin Gloster, Jacqueline Frank, Alexandra Neylon, Sarah Whelan, Sarah Bush, Claire McBride |
| School Winner Isobelle Carmody Award for Excellence in Creative Writing Meghan Tucker: A Chance Passed By |
Mental Health Creative Writing Competition
Organised by the Mental Health Foundation of Australia (Victoria), this annual Creative Writing Competition for Victorian schools is held in the lead up to Mental Health Week 4th – 10th October 2009.
Alexandra Neylon (Year 11) received a prize for her fictional narrative: Journey to Me.
Boroondara Literary Awards (BLA)
Since 1998, the City of Boroondara has run a prestigious Literary Competition in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Balwyn and Leader Newspapers Ltd. Every year since the BLA began, Ruyton students have gained recognition for their entries. We are most fortunate to be part of the city of Boroondara and to be the beneficiaries of a literary programme which fosters creative talents.
| Junior Poetry, Highly Commended Zoe Hutton, Year 8 |
Mrs Irene Taylor, Dean of English
English Learning Curriculum and Learning
English Learning School Comparative Results
English Connecting Partnerships