For the first time, Year 7 students took part in Ignite, presenting speeches on a wide range of subjects. Topics included the versatility of Lego and the suggestion to rename history as 'herstory.' The Year 7 winner was Jawhara from 7RS, who captivated the audience with a compelling speech on the importance of being proud of our names. Other impressive finalists included Janvi Patel, Deeva Shah, Daria Loghin, Vansh Shah, Andreas Baraiac, Jack Chadha, Javeria Khirkhawa, and Maria Maciuc.

Year 8 students, competing for the second time, demonstrated their growing experience with outstanding speeches on children's rights, addressing issues such as freedom from exploitation and abuse. Amos from 8SC emerged as the Year 8 winner with a powerful speech on why all children should receive their rights and be free from discrimination. “I think everyone in the audience would agree that all the finalists spoke well, but Amos was exceptional.” The other talented finalists included Llithyia Wu, David Dobrica, Yousra Salehih, Alaa Nejmeh, Shayan Usman, Abdallah Ahmed, Anay Mistry, and Ghassan Moumen.

The competition was judged by a panel of students from across the school, including Rokhan Sayed (Y7), Deya Kerai (Y8), Dani Saad (Y9), Katlin Balois (Y9), Mitali Shah (Y12), and George Psaromitis (Y12). Jack Grange (Y12) and Renishaga Thibaharan (Y12) contributed by capturing the event through photography. This collaboration across year groups was a testament to the school's community spirit, with students demonstrating resilience, curiosity, and integrity.

The students deeply appreciate and enjoy this opportunity to express their voices. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the admin team, premises team, IT team, support staff, Year 7 and Year 8 tutor teams, and English teachers. Your collective effort in helping the students to write and prepare their speeches, and supporting this event made it a great success.

We look forward to the next Ignite competition. As Ghassan from 8H eloquently concluded, "Stay safe."