May 2: Brandon Moxam competes in Provincial Public Speaking Finals

All the way to the top: Brandon Moxam captured first place in the Junior Category at the Royal Canadian Legion Area Public Speaking Competition in South Porcupine on April 18th, 2009. He heads to the provincial competition in Trenton on May 2nd.

A Grade 5 student from George Vanier Public School will compete in the Provincial Public Speaking Finals in Trenton on Saturday, May 2nd, 2009. To quality for the provincials, Brandon Moxam placed first at Branch, Zone, District and Area competitions sponsored by the Royal Canadian Legion.

From the Lockerby Legion Branch competition, Brandon progressed to the Zone competition hosted by the Little Current Legion. He competed at the District competition in North Bay on March 28th. He subsequently captured first place at the Area competition in South Porcupine on April 18th, where he received a trophy, a framed certificate, a plaque and a cash prize.

The topic of his award-winning speech? A Basenji, which is a yodeling dog.

“I received an Uncle John’s reader for Christmas,” explains Brandon. “A reference in the book caught my attention. There is a dog, a Basenji, that doesn’t bark, it actually yodels. I had never heard of the Basenji, so it seemed like a great topic.”

Mom Carrie Anne Moxam, a Literacy Resource Teacher at Queen Elizabeth Public School, has been supporting Brandon throughout his public speaking journey. She commended the Royal Canadian Legion for co-ordinating the public speaking competitions through their Youth and Education Program. “These competitions give students a great opportunity to hone their public speaking skills, which is an invaluable life skill,” she says.

Board Chair Judy Hunda commended Brandon Moxam for his outstanding achievement. “Brandon has proven to be a wonderful representative for Rainbow District School Board, George Vanier Public School and our local Lockerby Legion. We wish Brandon well as he moves on to the finals.”

-30-

Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 674-3171, ext. 7217.