Yorkies Compete at International Public Speaking Competition

Saskia and Rainy head to Toronto for the International Public Speaking Competition.
Isabelle, Saskia and Rainy head to Toronto for the International Public Speaking Competition.

This year, Isabelle (Gr. 12), Saskia (Gr. 10), and Rainy (Gr. 11) competed in the International Independent School Public Speaking Competition (IISPSC) in Toronto. The YHS team was nervous at first, but once the competition started, the three girls were immediately engaged.

The girls did extremely well. Even though there were teams from all over the world, Isabelle and Rainy still placed in the top 100 students and Saskia made the finals for her after-dinner speech. It was a thrilling, yet beneficial, experience for the YHS team. The girls made a lot of friends and had the chance to explore the enchanting city of Toronto. Overall, it was a great competition!

Elizabeth Wong
Teacher Sponsor

Anaheed Saatchi ’09 Shares for Ally Week

While Irshad Manji was here, there was a lot of discussion about moral courage. We were honoured to have someone from our very own community share her moral courage with us as part of Ally Week at YHS.

When Anaheed Saatchi (Class of 2009) was in Grade 9 and in my English class, she did something truly extraordinary — she sat down in front of my desk one lunch hour and told me she was gay. Her willingness to be open and vulnerable about this part of her has informed a lot of who I am as a teacher and educator, and since then, the ripple effects of her action have impacted the way students here feel about being themselves in a multitude of ways. Anaheed added to this impact when she stood in front of our Senior School assembly and shared her story, the importance of allyship, and then continued sharing at a GSA meeting that same day. We are very lucky to have such incredible students and alumnae at this school!

Tanya Boteju
GSA Sponsor

Listen to Anaheed’s Speech: