On Sept. 14, the 13th Shimane English Speech Contest for High School Students was held at Ohda High School. 11 students participated this year, and two of them were from Izumo High School.
Moyu Konishi, from 1-1, talked about the importance of preserving beautiful seas, which she loves visiting with her beloved grandfather. She said, “We can start with small things. For instance, I use my own water bottle every day, not the plastic bottles. Also, I use a reusable shopping bag made by my grandmother. I believe such little things can make a difference. The first step we can take is simply to learn and be aware of this problem.” She called for action which any of us can do.
Kazusato Fujiki, also from 1-1, talked about the seriousness of work situations in Japan. He said, “We need to be proactive and try to improve things, and not be passive and just wait for them to change someday. By doing so, I believe we can prevent death by overwork.” He pointed out the important issue Japanese people have faced for a long time.
Both of them delivered their speeches with confidence and received compliments from the judges. They have worked very hard toward this contest throughout the summer. Moyu was awarded the 1st prize and Kazusato received the 3rd prize. There will not be a regional or national contest this year, however, this experience surely boosted their confidence and will help them in their future endeavors.
