As part of Orange Blossom Festival celebrations Members of Soroptimist International of The Hills held their Annual Public Speaking Competition for local High School students on Saturday afternoon, 9th September at the Glenhaven Community Centre with over 40 students from local schools participating.
There was a strong focus on education Public Speaking contest for women and girls with topics for both Junior and Senior Sections chosen to build on the Theme for International Women’s Day 2023 relating to access to digital technology.
The Junior topic was – “Digital Technology is developing at a rapid rate – How are these advancements impacting the youth of today?” and Senior topic “In what ways does accessible education empower women and contribute to breaking down barriers of discrimination?”
Hills Shire Mayor Peter Gangemi and State Member for Castle Hill, Mark Hodges attended and presented Awards to participants and winners.
Soroptimist International is a vibrant dynamic organisation for women working through service projects to advance human rights and the status of women.
The word Soroptimist comes from the Latin words soror meaning “sister” and optima meaning “best” which loosely translates as “best for women”.
As In the past The Competition was strongly supported by teachers and is an excellent opportunity for students to try out their public speaking skills, and address the meaningful topics chosen.
Club President Cathy Tracey said “It was evident that the student speakers had planned and researched the topics well and there was a diversity of responses. They articulated their thoughts and ideas with confidence and made it a difficult job for the adjudicators. Congratulations to them all on their polished performances.”
Interested community members can find out more about our Club’s activities by accessing [email protected], on facebook at facebook.com/sithehills, or by contacting President, Cathy Tracey on 0435 837 118. 
WINNERS WERE
• Junior A: Years 7/8
MEGAN SUHARTONO, Tara Anglican School
• Junior B: Years 7/8
OLIVIA YUN, Tara Anglican School
• Junior C: Year 9
AARYA SHAH, William Clarke College
• Senior A: Year 10
JENNIFER WANG, OLMC, Parramatta
• Senior B: Years 11/12
SHREYA MANN, William Clarke College
