On Thursday we hosted the semi-finals of the Chrystall Carter Prize, an annual speaking competition set up in memory of former GDST Deputy Legal Secretary, Chrystall Carter. Chrystall had a strong belief in the power of reasoned argument and the competition honours her memory by providing girls with the opportunity to develop this crucial life skill.

Open to Year 11 pupils across the GDST, schools hold their own internal competitions before choosing one speaker to enter the semi-finals who has to write and deliver a 7 minute speech and take questions from the audience. Facing off against Bromley High, Blackheath High, Croydon High and Sutton High, our representative, Charlotte chose an incredibly unique topic in the ‘The Ulster Cycle’ – a group of legends and tales from medieval Ireland in the heroic age of the Ulaids.

Other topics included: “What matters in our society is the here and now, not the future”, “Do we romanticise mental health issues?” and “Is van Gogh’s Sunflowers really more important than real sunflowers?”, but the overall winner was Tara from Croydon whose topic was titled, “Out of school and out of luck? Women’s education in the developing world”. We wish her all the best for the final and thank our judges Maddy Warren and Zara Berry for their time and expertise.