Winning students make their point

4:47pm Wednesday 30th January 2008

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WHILE the number of teams was lower than in previous years, the standard was as high as ever in the 2008 Youth Speaks competition.

The annual event, organised by the Rotary Club of Andover, brought some novel and thought-provoking subjects to be aired in the Harrow Way Community School auditorium.

As usual the subjects were well researched and presented to a full house with enthusiasm and conviction.

Rookwood put forward the only team in the Intermediate Section and therefore progressed to the next round automatically.

However, that did not detract from the team's determination to make the most of their time centre stage.

Their subject, www.techteens.co.uk, delved into the electronic age that envelops today's youngsters and they presented a broad overview of the rapidly changing lifestyle of what they described as the Google generation. Team: Chairperson - Jade White; Speaker - Chloe Gardiner; Proposer - Madeleine McCarthy.

In the Senior Section Harrow Way entered two teams and Rookwood provided the third.

First to take the floor was Harrow Way One whose subject was The influence of the media'. The thrust of this presentation was on the effect the media and its coverage of celebrities can have, and the difference between needing to know and merely wanting to know. Team: Chairperson - Alex Watson; Speaker - Heidi Hodgkinson; Proposer - Chelsea Newman.

Harrow Way Two made bullying their topic with some thoughtful and emotional insights into what makes a bully, who becomes a victim and why. There was also a message for parents to teach children to co-exist and not pass off bullying as playground banter. Team: Chairperson - Kayleigh Parker; Speaker - Laura Shears; Proposer - Amber Stubbs.

Rookwood seniors chose the Thieves of childhood' as their subject, highlighting the fact that the UK has such a high proportion of children who suffer from stress and unhappiness. Concern was also expressed over the weak certification of increasingly violent films. Team: Chairperson - Briony Malden; Speaker - Coraleigh Saunders-Walker; Proposer - Amber Broadhead.

The judging panel consisting of Test Valley Mayor Cllr Pam Mutton, Andover Advertiser editor Joe Scicluna and Rotary Club president John Ray had a tough task in selecting the senior team to go through but Rookwood eventually did the double.

Results Intermediate Section Team - Rookwood Best speaker - Chloe Gardiner Best chairperson - Jade White Best proposer - Madeleine McCarthy Senior Section Team - Rookwood Best speaker - Laura Shears (Harrow Way Two) Best chairperson - Briony Malden (Rookwood) Best proposer - Amber Broadhead (Rookwood) Timekeeper was Stuart Bevan and MC was Richard Scriven.