On Sunday 20th August, five of our senior students competed in the Modern Language Teachers Association of Queensland (MLTAQ) Japanese speech contest, held at the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC.) The students gave a set speech in Japanese about themselves, their families, and their hobbies in front of a panel of judges. They were then questioned about it and needed to respond in Japanese. There were 64 students in the Year 5 category and 58 in the Year 6 category, from both public and private schools across the coast.
All of our students put in a lot of time and effort beforehand, practising during lunchtimes and before and after school; and I am incredibly proud of all of their efforts. The Year 5 students had to leave before the medal presentation in order to dance in the Street Fair; and the Year 6s gave up the opportunity to dance in order to participate in the contest. I'm very grateful to them, to the parents who acted as their support and chauffeurs on the day; and especially to Yuko Shimabata, a native speaking parent who gave up her own time to help the students achieve their personal best. Well done, everyone!
Contestants: Hollie Clarkson (5/6H), Layla Codd (5/6H), Lacey Partridge (5R), Lucy Peill (5/6P) and William Geppert (5/6P)
Results:
Year 6 1st Place - William Geppert
Year 5 2nd Place - Lacey Partridge, 3rd Place - Layla Codd, Highly commended - Hollie Clarkson.