2021 “EIA CUP” English Speech Contest of the International School
To provide students with an opportunity to show their English competence, cultivate their patriotism and sense of responsibility, and arouse their enthusiasm in spreading Chinese culture; the International School collaborating with Edvantage Institute (Australia) held the "EIA CUP" English Speech Contest with the theme of retelling Chinese stories to the world. The contest was divided into two stages: the preliminary round and the final.
The preliminary round was held in Room 401 of Qizhi Building on April 13th, with 10 contestants participating. Judges and guests included Professor Li Pinghai, the Vice Dean of the International School; Mr. Colin Black, faculty of the Foreign Language School; Mr. Yang Lijun, the Counselor of the International School and staff from the International School.
(The Faculty, Staff and Students Presenting in the Preliminary Stage)
The contestants entertained the audience with wonderful speeches. They retold Chinese stories with emotion and confidently expressed their own views. The speech part was ended in applause, followed by comments from Mr. Colin Black and the conclusion made by Prof. Li Pinghai. Mr. Colin Black praised the contestants for their lively and interesting presentation, and suggested to enrich their speeches by exemplifying the points and showing PPT slides. Prof. Li Pinghai encouraged students to make full use of the speech opportunity to improve their English.
(Mr. Colin Black Making Comments) (Prof. Li Pinghai Making a Conclusion)
After the preliminary round, 9 contestants entered into the final. The final was successfully held in Room 401 of Qizhi Building on April 20th. The judges and guests in attendance included: Professor Yu Huifen, the Dean of the International School; Dr. Sal, faculty of the International School; Mr. Wang Wenzhong, the Director of the International Exchange and Cooperation Office; Mr. Colin Black & Ms Su Heng, faculty of the Foreign Language School; Mr. Kuang Yinjie, staff from the International Exchange and Cooperation Office; and Mr. Yang Lijun, the Counselor of the International School.
(Judges & Guests of the Final)
Before the start of the final, a congratulatory video from Mr. Rhys Williams, the Executive Manager of the International Engagement of EIA, was shown.
During the final, the contestants spoke on various topics related to Chinese stories: the charm of Chinese cultural relics, the struggling spirit of the Chinese people, the problems existing in national health care system, etc. Each of them cherished this speech chance and was dedicated to striving for the top spot.
After all speeches, judges scored for the contestants according to their speech content and performance. Before the winner list was announced, the audience and participants carefully listened to opinions and suggestions from judges.
(Mr. Wang Wenzhong Making Comments)
Mr. Wang Wenzhong gave his praise to the contestants for their bold attempt and pointed out their shortcomings in the speech. In addition, he shared some speech skills with students, for instants, appropriately using transitional words and conjunctions; emphasizing symbolic words or keywords; adding proper body language, including gestures and eye contact; making speech fluency a top priority; overcoming nervousness; and maintaining confidence during the speech.
(Dr. Sal Making Comments)
Dr. Sal complimented the contestants for their informative speeches. Then, he hoped that they could learn from the judges’ advice, pursue higher speech standards, actively participate in speech contests, and constantly improve speech skills. Finally, he expressed that he could witness improved performances from students in the next competition.
(Dean Yu Making Concluding Comments)
Dean Yu mentioned that retelling Chinese story in English as the theme of the speech contest would be meaningful and challenging for students. She expressed her delight and surprise at the contestants’ confidence and courage during the speech, and expected the next contest to include more students with better performance. Then, she stressed that it was extremely important for college students in the 21st century to possess bilingual and multicultural capability. Finally, she expressed her gratitude to the judges and guests for their attendance and to all staff and students for their efforts during this contest.
In closing, everyone welcomed the exciting prize-giving ceremony with judges and guests presenting awards to the winners.
The Winner List of the Speech Contest
The First Prize
Wu Qiutong; majoring in English, the Overseas Innovation Class of 2020
The Second Prize
Chen Xiangyu; majoring in Accounting, the International Class 1 of 2020
Xian Yuheng; majoring in English, the International Class of 2019
The Third Prize
Chen Linshuo; majoring in Pre-school Education, the International Class of 2020
Ou Xiyao; majoring in Pre-school Education, the Bilingual Class of 2019
Yu Zhengyang; majoring in English, the International Class of 2020
Excellence Award
Luo Jiayu; majoring in Pre-school Education, the Bilingual Class of 2019
Hu Yuxin; majoring in English, the International Class of 2019
Zhou Nan; majoring in Accounting, the International Class 1 of 2020
Best Popularity Award
Hu Yuxin; majoring in English, the International Class of 2019
(The Winners Taking Photos with Award Presenters)
With great happiness the 2021 “EIA CUP” English Speech Contest of the International School came to a successful end.
(Group Photo of the Final)
