The Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited said the senior secondary schools have emerged winners in the preliminary sessions of its Inter-Secondary School Impromptu Speech competition.

A press release from the bank said Queen’s College (QC) and School of the Nations emerged winners in the session hosted last Tuesday and President’s College (PC) and Mae’s Secondary School beat their competitors in the session hosted on Thursday and St Joseph High conquered their competitors in the session hosted on Tuesday this week.

QC scored 691 points, to beat competitors Annandale Secondary, who scored 416, while Nations’ students gained 662 to beat competitors Central High School who scored 409 points. The QC students were given the topics corporal punishment in schools, ghosts I would like to meet and a bank account is essential while their competitors were given the topics the passa passa dance craze, if I were invisible for a day and gossip.

The Nations’ students tackled topics including the CSME will keep skills within the region, education is the key to success and the most important thing my mother taught me while their competitors spoke on laughter is the best medicine, every home needs a computer and the West Indies needs a football team. The judges for the session included Abiola Innis, Dr Joyce Jonas and Barbara Sukhai.

PC scored 684 points to beat their competitors North Georgetown Secondary who scored 561. Mae’s students beat competitors St John’s College with a score of 690 while St John’s scored 502 points. The judges for this session were John Tracey, Bonita Hunter and Magda Pollard.

In the latest contest St Joseph scored 599 points to beat competitors Richard Ishmael Secondary which scored 427 points. The judges for this session included Geoffrey Smith, Bernadette Persaud and Dr Jonas.

This match concluded the first round of the competition and the winners, along with winners from earlier sessions; Christ Church Secondary School, Marian Academy and Covent Garden Secondary will advance to the second round which begins today.

The competition is being hosted by the bank’s Regent Street branch.