SIS GAVEL CLUB 2020/ 2021
A Nostalgic Retrospect
The Gavel Club of Stafford International School isn’t merely a platform for members to master public speaking; it is a tight-knit community where members learn an array of priceless skills. Since the dawn of the Gavel Club, we have made sure that our members are provided an immensely wondrous experience that will greatly benefit their futures!
JOURNEY TO THE BEGINNING: THE FOUNDATION OF THE CLUB
The Gavel Club was established in the year 2017 by the first President, Gv. Dayan Perera and the first VP Education, Gv. Chaneth Wickramapala, and were supported by the Teacher-In-Charge, Ms Namalee Jayasinghe. Since their first visit to the then Principal of SIS, proposing the initial idea of a Gavel Club, to the first official meeting, they worked tirelessly to start the amazing club that we have today.
The first Executive Committee consisted of the following:
- President- Gv. Dayan Perera
- VP Education- Gv. Chaneth Wickramapala
- VP Membership- Gv. Savith Herath
- VP Public Relations- Gv. Chiran Premaratne
- Secretary – Gv. Diren Gunasekera
Since then, the Gavel Club has shone brighter and brighter, with every new skill learnt and every smile put on a member’s face.
2020 / 2021 - YEAR IN A BLINK
Even though the Covid-19 pandemic did take it tolls, the Gavel Club was able to have a highly successful year with a plethora of fun and learning. In fact, we were one of the first clubs in Stafford to adapt to online meetings on the Zoom Conferencing Application! Both members and the committee will definitely agree that it was a truly unforgettable year, made even more special by the constant support they received from Ms Namalee Jayasighe and TM Dinuk Silva, the club Coach.
The outgoing Executive Committee and Substitute Committee for the year 2020/2021 was appointed in August 2020 and they did a phenomenal job despite the hardships of the pandemic.
The Executive Committee consisted of:
- President- Gv. Diren Gunasekera
- Vice President Education- Gv. Jai Amalean
- Vice President Membership- Gv. Dhahamsi Premaratne
- Vice President Public Relations- Gv. Chiran Premaratne
- Secretary- Gv. Ramudhi de Silva
- Treasurer- Gv. Oneli Rajavasan
- Sargent-At-Arms- Gv. Pavan Rajavasan
- Immediate Past President- Gv. Savith Herath
The Substitute Committee consisted of:
- Assistant Vice President Education- Gv. Akindu Pathirage
- Assistant Vice President Membership- Gv. Jaden David
- Assistant Vice President Public Relations- Gv. Rahul Vaithylingam
- Assistant Secretary- Gv. Shenodh Peramunugama
- Assistant Treasurer- Gv. Thanujan Nandhakumar
- Assistant Sargent-At-Arms- Gv. Sashin Perera
INAUGURAL EVENT: INTRA GAVEL CONTEST 2020
The highly anticipated annual Intra-Gavel Contest was held on the 16th and 23rd of October 2020, through the Zoom Conferencing Application, and comprised of two categories- Junior and Senior. It was an unforgettable event where participants gained a variety of valuable skills: effectively preparing competent and entertaining speeches, displaying creativity through language and presentation, building a competitive spirit and gracefully accept victory or failure!
The winner of the Junior Category was Bhupesh Selvanayagam, the first runner up was Ranuli Jayawardene and the second runner up was Mukarram Jameel.
In the Senior Category, the winner was Amaya Perera, the first runner up Savith Herath and the second runner-up was Ramudhi de Silva.
CONQUERING ISLANDWIDE COMPETITIONS
The Gavel Club is extremely proud of its members who displayed their colourful talents at several islandwide competitions! These include Amaya Perera, who was placed third at the All Island Best Gavel Speaker Contest 2021, Dhahamsi Premaratne, who was a finalist at the Speak to Lead Competition 2021, and Mohamed Mukarram Mohamed Jameel, who got through to the finals of the Minerva Speak to Lead Contest 2021. Moreover, Chiran Premaratne and Ramudhi de Silva were semi-finalists at the Inter-School Best Speaker Contest 2020.
INSPIRING GUEST SPEAKERS
Over the year, several renowned guest speakers joined our online meetings and presented motivating speeches, which the members not only thoroughly enjoyed but also learned several valuable lessons from! They were:
- TM Dananjaya Hettiarachchi – Q & A session
- TM Hisham Alif – “Creativity in public speaking”
- TM Digayu Jayawardene – “Take the leap”
- TM Sanara Premaratne – “Why you should try public speaking”
- TM Ravindu Amendra – “Body language & stage use”
- TM Farhaz Farouk – “Using humour in speeches”
The Gavel Club faced many obstacles in the academic year 2020/2021, but as we come out on the other end of the tunnel, we truly cherish all the wonderful memories that we made. We are immensely excited to continue this special journey for the years to come, with both familiar and new faces!