Grade 3 student earns top honours in public speaking

A Grade 3 student from Walden Public School has garnered top honours in the Royal Canadian Legion Public Speaking Competition.

Airah Junkala demonstrated exceptional confidence, poise and speaking ability throughout each level of the competition.

She captured First Place at Branch, Zone, District and Area levels, advancing to the Provincial Competition in Napanee.

At the provincial level, she achieved the remarkable distinction of Runner-Up.

“We are very proud of Airah for her outstanding achievement,” said Bruce Bourget, Chief Executive Officer of the Rainbow District School Board. “Airah has been a wonderful representative for her school and her community at each level of the competition.”

He added: “We thank the Royal Canadian Legion and its members for providing this wonderful opportunity for students to develop a valuable life skill.”

Airah Junkala chose “My Brother” as the topic for her speech. “I wanted to share about him as he is kind and smart. He inspires me every day and does challenging things that I want to do some day,” she said.

Reflecting on her experience, Airah said it was an opportunity to grow. “At first I was nervous, but my teacher Mme. Lalonde encouraged me,” she said. “As I moved ahead in the competition, I felt more confident.”

Airah enjoyed listening to the other speakers and learning from the older students. “The other speakers were really good and that was also inspiring to me,” she said.

Why is public speaking a good skill to have? “It’s important because you won’t be scared of talking in front of people,” said Airah. “It helps build your confidence which is really important.”

Her advice for other students considering the competition is simple, but says a lot. “Believe in yourself and practice, practice, practice!”

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171 ext. 7217