The Hibari ESS club attended the Japan-American Society of Kobe Speech Recitation Contest preliminaries represented by Chiyuko Kurooka on Thursday 23rd, 2023.

The speech to be recited was an annotated version of the speech "Listen to the Children" given by Severn Cullis-Suzuki at the 1992 Rio Summit. The speech's content is an impassioned plea towards to the conference goers to not forget that the futures of their children are at stake due to the ever more dire situation of climate change.

Ms. Kurooka performed well amidst a strong group of contestants despite having injured her leg the week before the contest. The judges noted the increasing abilities of the contestants year over year. This year's contestants followed that trend, using a wide variety of styles and interpretations to deliver the speech.

The judges closing remarks also spoke to the increasing skill level of the contestants. While, in the past, such contests have been largly a test of pronunciation, in recent years, contestants have been ever more mindful of their delivery and their ability to impact and connect with the audience. As such, the judges reaffirmed the value of speaking with energy and intention.

It is heartening to see the increasing abilities put on display every year at the speech recitation contest.

While the results of the contest will not be revealed until mid-December we are proud to say that Ms. Kurooka delivered her speech with aplomb.