Killiney student finalist in nationwide speech writing competition

A Killiney student has been chosen as a finalist in ActionTalks, a national speech writing competition open to all students aged between 14 and 17.

Rachel Berwick, a student at Holy Child Killiney Secondary School was chosen as one of the finalists.

The competition, now in its seventh year, received its highest ever number of entries – 177 from over 40 schools in 16 counties.

This year the competition is taking place entirely online with topics focusing on the pandemic.

Chief executive of ActionAid Ireland, which runs the competition, Siobhán McGee said: “We had a challenge on our hands choosing the finalists this year.

“As well as the high volume of entries, we could see students from across the country worked hard on the speeches, including researching how the pandemic had affected people in other countries.

“We were really struck by the strong analysis students did on their own situations and it was interesting to hear how the pandemic has impacted on young people.

“With that said, Rachel’s speech stood out and kept us thinking after we had finished reading it.

“We’re looking forward to hearing the speech live in the Zoom final at the end of February.”

The winning student and their teacher will each receive a €500 One4All voucher. The winners will be chosen by an independent panel of judges.