5月25日，初三年级校友杯英语演讲比赛在二号楼1楼报告厅正式拉开帷幕，本次演讲主题为“power of youth”，演讲者是通过初中三年英语考试成绩排名选拔出来的八名佼佼者，同学们非常期待这些在英语学习中脱颖而出的参赛者们在舞台上的精彩表现。

“Youth（青春）”这个词，对于同学们来说都不陌生。但青春究竟意味着什么呢？演讲者们从不同的角度与观点出发，抓住关键词“power”，阐述了自己眼中的青春，以及青春自身所散发出来的力量与希望。有的同学抓住青春的“创新精神”叙说青春力量的积极性，也有同学通过比较其利弊讲述合理对待青春的重要性。台下的观众也在演讲者的引领与带动下思考起各自的“青春”以及它们所带来的意义与力量。思维的火花不断交织，大家都沉浸在这美好的氛围之中。

在评委们给出最终成绩前，初三1班的胡佳雯同学为全场带来了一首歌曲《without you》。作为演讲者之一的张乐岑同学与初三4班的陈博洋同学也表演了一首高人气歌曲《faded》，两人的默契配合引得全场阵阵欢呼。

最终，本次校友杯英语演讲比赛的获胜者分别是来自初三4班的陈君洋和初三3班的潘越。

初三2班 何天妤 陈心远 供稿

附：选手参赛感言

这次参加校友杯，有太多的惊喜，学到了太多的东西。

第一个惊喜就是获得了参加校友杯的资格。从初二旁听校友杯开始，我就对能参加这个比赛的人表示羡慕。我从来没有想过自己也能成为自己曾经羡慕的那些人中的一员。因为从来没有想过可以参加校友杯，五月份开始其实报了很多其他的活动。当校友杯通知到来的时候，我有一点焦头烂额了。但是既然有资格了就要好好准备，伴随着身边时不时冒出的“这人要把自己忙死”的吐槽，我还是义无反顾地踏上了校友杯的征程。

然后就是笔试，说实话，在笔试上我从来没有对自己抱太大希望。因为其他人都非常厉害。所以我非常惊讶地发现我笔试后感觉还不错，有可能是运气比较好。这算是第二个惊喜。

第三个惊喜是我当天的演讲居然能收获这么多掌声。真正等到英语节这一周，我才意识到“把自己忙死”是什么状态。同时在排戏剧之夜的《Coco》，练主持人的开场和串词，其实我在校友杯上花的功夫实在不太多。周末在家里改了几稿，可是因为超时一直没有定稿。一直到星期五早上，我才慌忙定下稿子。我一直不是很自信，居然演讲到一半就有掌声，就很开心，串场节目比我的演讲还要成功，就更开心了。

这次校友杯真的让我意识到其实没有什么是不可能的，一定不要低估自己的能力。我在之前从来没有在这么多人面前演讲过，所以这一次校友杯真的让我学到了很多，从写稿，到在镜子面前练习，再到最后在大家面前展示自己，其实都提升了我的能力。

最后，我觉得我能有这次机会上台演讲，一定要感谢一下Miss Zhang（张海漪老师）。感谢所有在校友杯幕后工作，让活动成功举办的老师和同学。还要感谢我们班以及不限于我们班的同学对我的支持。

最后的最后，这次校友杯不是我们旅途的终点。我也知道山外有山，人外有人。我会珍惜每一次锻炼的机会，继续努力，然后让自己更棒。

                                                            初三2班 张乐岑

当我还是个初一时就被无敌伟大无敌可爱的英语老师Grace强行安利了Alumni Cup，当然当时的我只是仰望着历届学长学姐，暗自羡慕他们的风采。在这里要特别感谢一下我的英语老师，三年来，每当有课内课外的英语活动，特别是演讲比赛时，Grace就会以她一贯的热情鼓励我们去尝试。有时英语演讲并没有自己想象的那么可怕，关键是要迈出那一步，尝试过了就不会留有遗憾。作为杭外人，英语对我们来说就不仅仅是一门学科，它非常美妙非常值得探索。

比赛那天抱着享受过程的心态上了场。和大佬们同台竞争相互学习真的是一件很棒的事情。（所以初一初二的学弟学妹们真的要好好学习，校友杯真的是人生不可多得的学习经历。）

当然还要感谢所有为校友杯默默付出的人。特别感谢Memo学姐的加油，被这么优秀的学姐鼓励真的太开心了！

最后，希望大家都能在杭外体会到英语学习的乐趣。You never know until you try!

初三4班 张澄

能选上校友杯真的是我三生有幸。有很长一段时间我非常惶恐，天天念叨着“我不想上去演讲”、“某某同学讲得那么好应该替我去”一类的消极话语。当时我真的不觉得我有什么上台的必要性，闭上眼睛仿佛就能看到自己站在台上不知所云以及突然忘词一脸生无可恋的样子，听见台下的学弟学妹悄悄吐槽“这个学姐上来是干什么的”。然而真正走上台演讲的时候虽然有点忘词有点口误，但真的和刚学的课文说得一样——Most things you worry about won’t happen, and even if they do, they won’t be as bad as you’ve imagined. 总而言之这次比赛收获多多，是一次独一无二的经历。也很感谢很多人在背后做的努力——比如说Anna、主持人、评委老师们、做ppt的同学、串场节目表演者……有Abby学姐的应援实在是太幸福了！感谢FCPX，感谢Grace （徐玉芬老师）——如果不是老师激励的话，我大概也不会那么认真学英语，也就没有机会经历校友杯了。

初三4班 陈孟原

还依稀记得一年前坐在台下听学长学姐演讲，记得那些五花八门的自我介绍，还有那首清奇的《humble》。

现在突然要写自己参加Alumni Cup的感言了，时间流逝可真是快得让人不知所措。对我这种日常撕稿又有点拖延的人来说，七天的准备时间好像一转眼就过去了，留下的唯一记忆就是一次次在deadline induced panic中改稿子。

幸运的是，我最终完成了自己的演讲（没有突然断片之类的233），并且，like, “enjoyed my own speech”。站在台上，发出自己的声音，不再有死记硬背的痛苦。我意识到，在那三分钟里，说出的一字一句都真正属于我。它们来自我的内心，我为它们的被听见而感到快乐。

“The Power Of Youth”绝不仅仅是一次演讲的主题。我想我也会愉快地记住这次比赛为我带来的种种思考。

  All in all, more than proud to participate.

初三3班 楼亦凡

六号演讲者就是我，我就是凯文。首先能够参加校友杯演讲比赛本身就让我感到十分不可思议以及万分荣幸。作为代表整个初三年级英语水平的七位同学之一，站在初二与初三两个年级的同学以及许多评委前，是我之前根本无法想象的。赛前的许多个晚上，我常常会在黑暗中焦虑得难以入睡，害怕比赛当天会忘词、结巴或者是脑子瞬间空白等等。不过好在最后还是出乎我意料的，就我自己而言，极其顺利地完成所有演讲。现在想来，当时站在硕大的报告厅中央面对黑压压的人头时，心中当时是跃跃欲试的。三分钟仿佛就是眨眼间的事，竟还有些意犹未尽。其实当时如此平静的心态是之前的我意料之外、却是临上场的我意料之中的。实话说，听完大部分参赛者的演讲后，我是释然的；所有人的表现都是如此出色，他们在台上是多么自然、大方。当时我的心中一部分是“欲与天公试比高”的想法；另一部分，说来也不怕耻笑，则是明知无望的坦荡。也许更多的是后者的“绝望”让我变得无畏。遗憾也的确是有的。由于在比赛的一个小时前突然发现时间超出了很多，所以演讲稿的终稿是我当天中午距离比赛还有半个小时才定下来的，删改了一半以上，比任何一次的修改程度都要大,所以还是欠准备。最后，我想感谢为这次校友杯奉献出自己力量的同学们，他们是两位主持人：初三（2）班的张宇棋同学，初三（3）班的葛婧同学；为大家带来精彩串场节目的初三（1）班的胡佳雯同学，初三（2）班的张乐岑同学，初三（4）班的陈博阳同学，以及许许多多在幕后默默奉献的同学们。谢谢你们！正是因为你们，这次校友杯才会如此顺利与圆满。

初三1班  郑之钰

首先，感谢一直以来支持与鼓励我的，亲爱的爸妈、老师们、同学们，没有你们，我恐怕不会有这个勇气去参赛。感谢我的对手们，你们的超高水平让我再也没有第二条路可以走。 

当时得知我要参加校友杯的时候，其实我是有点抗拒的。没错，我在初二的时候确实观摩过一场，但是那次的参赛者和这次我的对手们都是响当当的人物。我有他们那么优秀吗？况且，当时已经为外语节忙得焦头烂额，实在不知如何抽出时间来再准备一场演讲赛。

后来我想，再来一个又怎么了，所谓天将降大任于是人也。最糟糕的结果也无非是忘词，在两个年级面前丢脸，而丢脸也没什么可怕的。

事后看来，恰恰是这个心态，再简单再轻松不过了。但是，当时，能想到这一层真的很难，就像是下定决心，在已经快要累瘫的时候，要再一次折磨自己。

于是，轻松应战的我，却莫名成了winner……

再一次谢谢我的父母，十五年来一直是我最坚强的后盾。再一次谢谢我的英语老师们，三年来一直鼓励我向前冲。再一次谢谢我的同学们，三年的陪伴，有苏伊士，就没有孤单。

努力吧，尽管这句话有点老套，奋斗吧，不要质疑自己的目标。

就算没有目标，也可以走一步看一步，谁笑到最后，谁就笑得最好。

初三4班 陈君洋

Anything could happen——于校友杯演讲比赛后

不到一个月前，我在年级公告栏上看到自己的名字，才得知有这个荣幸的机会去参加初三校友杯英语演讲比赛。去年相近的时候，我们初二学生集体观摩了学长学姐的演讲比赛，相隔一年，台上台下，我的心境大有不同。

我是一个安静的人，不太爱说话，不爱表达。此次能够参加演讲比赛，对我来说是一次锻炼的机会，虽然心知竞争者都很厉害，但抱着试一试的心态，我还是接受了这个挑战。

比赛的准备时间只有一周，我没有太多时间去查找资料、寻求帮助，一度感到无助。可是当我捧着初稿，惴惴不安地向身边的朋友询问意见的时候，我获得了极大的惊喜和温暖。他们都无私地为我出谋划策，与我分享经验，帮助我模拟比赛场景。在一次次的紧张焦虑间，是他们的话语抚平了我的慌张，让我重拾信心，端正心态。

多谢朋友们的帮助，转眼间我已经自信地站上了演讲台。“It’s just a chance for you to show everybody what you’ve got. Show them the power of youth. Just Relax……”我对自己默念。是的，无需紧张，让世界听到你的声音，那才是演讲的初衷。

丢掉了紧张，接下来的两个环节都显得很顺利。比赛结束了，我只觉得意犹未尽。

比赛的结果是令我惊喜而又意外的。我居然获得了校友杯英语演讲比赛的女生冠军。当主持人念出我的名字，我早已热泪盈眶。这份殊荣，我从未想过能获得。但——Anything could happen！

我知道，这份荣誉是对我一直以来努力的肯定。我感谢自己这些年来缓慢但执着的练习和进步，是它们让我成为了现在的我。它也是对我未来前进的激励。我一定会以更高水平的英语素养为目标，努力去学习、向前进！

谢谢杭外三年来给我的锻炼和机会，你让我成长、肯定我、激励我努力；谢谢我的朋友们，感谢你们对我的真诚帮助和支持！

Anything could happen, and this is the power of youth!

初三3班 潘越

初三2班 张宇棋 报道

附选手演讲稿:

一号选手：张乐岑

Contestant  No.1

For all the years I have heard others’ criticism about today’s young people. They say that we are indifferent. They say that we care nothing but ourselves. They say that our generation sticks with the cell phones all day long without caring about hot social issues.

However, what they say is not true.

We have seen that a pregnant woman fell on the street, while the rain was pouring down mercilessly. People just walked past her, pretending not to see her.  But I saw a school girl ran towards the woman and kindly held her umbrella to protect the woman from the rain.

We have seen that teenagers didn’t care about the Olympics scandals but played their phone games. But I also saw many university students who went to Korean website and asked for a fair judgment for the Chinese athletes.

We have seen that while the lgbts are being laughed at and discriminated in schools, no-one is courageous to stand out and speak for them. But I also saw others’ efforts in protecting their feelings and love although they are always stopped and wiped out in the dark.

 I saw the passion and energy in their eyes when those people have prepared to build up a better world for everyone. This is the power of youth. A determination to make the world better and a confidence that we do not surrender! Because we believe that this time we can make a difference!

The power has never been lacking in youth, at any times.

A hundred years ago, the great idea of “studying for the motherland” put forward by Zhou Enlai swept all over the country. This is his power of youth. Seventy years ago, many brave young men and women joined the army and sacrificed their lives for our country. This is their power of youth.  Ten years ago, a catastrophe hit Wen Chuan, then without the slightest hesitation thousands of volunteers appeared in the quake-stricken area and did their best to help the needed. This is their power of youth. And Nine years ago, when an “earthquake” took place in HFLS… So many students held rallies, lit up candles on the big square, and they have tried so hard to keep our school safe and sound. This is their power of youth. This is HFLSers power of youth.

So now, when the hope for the future seems to fade, let us show the people who still doubt that our generation lacks a sense of responsibility. Let us show everyone that HFLS can walk away from the shadow of 2009. Let us prove to everybody that with our own power, the power of youth, we can rewrite the ending of any story. Thank you!

二号选手：张澄

Contestant  No. 2

Good afternoon, everyone. I am Helen from class 4B. It’s my honor to stand here to deliver a speech.

What is the power of youth? Well, to answer this question, we have to take a close look at the word “YOUTH”. I believe each letter of YOUTH has its own special meaning.

The first letter Y just stands for “Why”. Since we were toddlers, we have been asking all sorts of questions due to our thirst for knowledge, but now we are developing our ability of critical thinking. Critical thinking does not mean a skeptical attitude toward everything, but means raising questions in order to get closer to the truth. For instance, in 2003, the 12-year-old girl Nie Li noticed that some bees were making sounds without vibrating their wings, which was against the common sense. She wondered why and then carried out some experiments to verify. Although at last her innovative theory was not accepted by scientists, her spirit of critical thinking has inspired many young people. Question the fake and bring out the truth, that is the power of youth.

Letter O stands for “Optimistic”. Without a positive mind, we are not able to make any great achievement. So does our country. The power of youth is optimism, it brings our society passion and bright prospects.

Then what is letter U? My answer is “Unique”. Youth are always creative and full of unique ideas. You can see the world is filled with new items and new concepts now, and that is the power of youth.

Also, I believe Letter T to be “together”. The world’s future depends on us. If we stick together, nothing’s too difficult. The power of youth is in our cohesion.

The last letter H stands for “Hard-working”. We youth are the ones that ought to work hard since we’ve got time and energy for that. But hard-working doesn’t simply mean doing tons of homework; it means you are clear about your dream and willing to make extra effort for it. If you are hard-working, who knows whether you are the next Ma Yun or not? The world needs hard-working youth, the world needs us. The power of youth is the possibility we have with our hard work.

Y, O, U, T, H, yes, it is youth. If all of us have critical thinking and willing to share our creative ideas, as well as looking things at the bright side, and together we work hard and dream high, then the power of youth, the power of us will lead China, lead the whole world to a brave new one.

Thank you!

三号选手：陈孟原

Contestant  No. 3

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great honor to stand here and deliver my speech. This is not just being polite. Three years ago I would not even work up the courage to dream of being on this stage. Back then when I first came to this school, there were about 30 to 40 students in front of me, both in English and of all subjects. And now after all the efforts I’ve made, I am here, total score ranking top 3.Isn’t it the Power of Youth?

Youth is a time when you are making your way to the future. Youth is a time when you are never afraid. Youth is a time when you lay down your foundation of dream, and the Power of Youth is Dream.

Never hesitate to chase your dream. In the past three years, I have heardstories of many a talented fellow student working toward one’s dream. There is Catherine, who herself completed a group work math project and ranked higher than students from Cambridge High School. There is Beryl, who made it all the way to the top of Mount Everest and became a participant of Marathon. There is Wang Tao, who established the leading drone company DJI (大疆). So, as the old saying goes, there is a will, there is a way.

Samuel Ullman noted, “Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind.” If we lose our dream at our teens, we lose our youth as well. Nowadays many students have become indifferent with their dreams. They give up totally on themselves and cannot remember how they swore with all their heart that they were going to be painters or scientists or writers. They walk as if they are in their 70s. On the contrary, Grace, my English teacher, keeps her dream of becoming a hostess, and she is always passionate like a teenager. That is the Power of Youth.

And youth is not just about ego. The movie Forever Young(无问西东), tells the stories of four different generation’s young people pursuing their true self- they dedicated themselves to the contribution to the country. They work toward their dream that someday China will be rising.

You don’t want to find out that you have done nothing when you are old, do you? So, have a dream, a dream that you will go all out for. Then you will never regret for your life.

四号选手：楼奕凡

Contestant  No. 4

Dear fellow students and honorable judges, good afternoon.

I’m Linda.

Let’s start with a quote from my friend Catherine Cao, who has the coolest motto I’ve ever seen. It goes like: a neuropsychologist who’s not enthusiastic about fitness and public speaking is not an adequate female leader and doer of social activities.

I just love the way she puts it because it breaks the stereotype that a fifteen year old girl knows nothing but how to study. It also fits with my understanding of who we are as youth of today. Grown up in this country with deep obsession on academic success, we’ve been told that our one and only obligation is to do well in school, to study hard and get good grades. But besides being a student, we could do so much more, and our brains are just as ready for great ideas as those of any adult’s, only more creatively.

Last summer I attended a workshop at Stanford, and on the inner side of a bathroom door, I was surprised to find a carefully designed piece of paper, with numbers that you can call for help if you’re hiding from a bully, or suffering from sudden depression. There are clear and comforting instructions telling you how to calm down and get help if you’re in trouble. It could save lives! I marveled at this design, and asked the professor who has done it. The answer is: a group of students just like me.

Catherine Cao started “Sighter”, a program entirely lead by student to help the blind people. Unlike others, they decided that they would train the volunteer to have empathy by covering their eyes and let them do daily tasks-a twist that turned out to be a great success.

Sometimes, innovation doesn’t start out as something grand. It may not appear like an opportunity to make a fortune or make a name for yourself, but we, young and foreseeing, see its potential with our unique perception. No matter it’s a piece of paper on the bathroom door or an eye patch, they make up the power that changes the world.

It’s about being ambitious, and stay sharp for opportunities. It’s about firmly knowing that you can change the world, and the realization of your own power. Innovation is never a privilege, and we can do it.

So turn on your power of youth. You’re never too young for great ideas.

Thank you.

五号选手：郑之钰

Contestant  No. 5

Good day, ladies and gentlemen. It’s been a challenge for me to stand here today, a challenge of speaking in front of the public without a stammer, hope I can succeed.

So, the power of youth. Actually I was quite confused about this topic at the first place. It doesn’t mention anything about the category of the power. You know, it could be physically. It could also be mentally. Therefore here comes a crossroad, and after a fierce battle in my mind, I decided to talk about the physical power of youth and what consequences it might lead to.

It comes as no surprise that the main cause of our growth is the secretion of different hormones by endocrine glands. And it is some of these hormones that influence our states of mind. For example, may I have girls’ attention please, when boys’ bodies begin to secrete more androgens, which make them become men, they may feel like getting closer to you, so do be careful.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the growing power is beneficial to us. We become more energetic and powerful. We can participate in a variety of activities to develop our interests and get prepared for the future. Our future could be so promising if we put our power into good use. But regrettably, some youths may use it wrongly.

On February 14th, 2018, a school shooting incident took place in Fla., USA. The gunman was a 19-year-old teenager. He was abandoned by his birth parents. His foster parents died because of heart attack and pneumonia. The misfortune of his childhood affected his unstable and still-growing mind, turned him into a boy with dark personalities. Hormones secretion of his puberty stimulated his wills to take revenge on others, aggravated his bad attitude towards the society. Thus he committed a crime.

Teenage crime is always a hot topic. In 2008, the number of teenagers who convicted of criminal offences in China reached the highest point in this century: 322,000, nearly 46% higher than 2000’s 221,000. However, since the government, as well as the society has made great effort to prevent us from doing the wrong thing, in 2015, the number dropped to 236,000, but still 7% higher than 2000.

We study, we rob. We dance, we murder. We play baseball, we take drugs. We are the future of the world, we are the suspects of the crime. The power of youth is considerable and neutral, the aftermath just depends on how we use the power.

六号选手：陈君洋

Contestant  No. 6

Honorable judges and dear friends, good afternoon!

Standing here to give a speech, I am glad to see a sure sign of youth on almost everyone. This is a good thing, for youth contains unlimited power, and will be helpful when we’re attempting to achieve something.

But first, we must ask ourselves: what is youth?

Youth, literally, means being young of age. This is something all the people desire, for no one can have a second chance of enjoying it. But youth does not mean merely being scientifically young. It could also mean being young in our hearts. As Franz Kafka once said:” Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”This, then, would be a matter of attitude towards our lives. I would say gladly that most of us here had already achieved it, or is on the way to do so.

Youth, as I had already stated, have powers beyond our wildest dreams. Being young means that we have plenty of time and energy to give everything a try, which makes youth colorful. I would consider myself a great example. I have been trying everything from singing to drama, from dancing to speeches, ever since I graduated into junior high. I may have proven myself bad, even awful, at some; but only by trying can I know for sure what the “some” here stands for.

Trying everything means that we’re almost certain that we’ll make mistakes, and another power of youth is the ability of affording to make mistakes. Tokelau Xiang for example. He was first trained to be a high jumper, but his bone condition prevented him from becoming a professional. If he wasn’t still young at that time, he wouldn’t become a hurdle sprinter; but this he became, and is now world-renowned.

Another athlete, Usain Bolt, also shares his experience. In his childhood, Bolt took a liking to cricket, and was a bit famous at that; but soon his coach realized that the cricket field should not be his biggest stage, and introduced him to sprinting. What happened after that we all know; there is no need to repeat the legend of the Flying Man, Usain St Leo Bolt.

Alas! But time is merciless, and there is no such thing as “Forever Young”. A s William Shakespeare once declared,” Youth is a short-lived dream, when you wake up, it has already disappeared without trace.”Which is why we should cherish the moment, and try to make full use of our youth while we still can.

Thank you!

七号选手：潘越

Contestant  No. 7

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

At the beginning of my speech, I’d like to share a real story with you. On May 12th, 2008, as we all know, an appalling earthquake took place in Wen Chuan, at that time, everyone in China was in deep grief for the heavy loss of life. Now, ten years have passed, buildings have been rebuilt, towns have revived and most importantly, the children who suffered from all the pains have grown up.

Several days ago I read a piece of news on the internet. It is said that a girl victim of Wen Chuan earthquake named Yang lin has got a job at Zhejiang provincial people’s hospital. Being badly hurt in the disaster, she was sent to Zhejiang for treatment at that time.

During her recovery, she was under cautious care of the nurses and doctors and received help of many warm-hearted people. Starting from that time, she has always been dreaming about becoming a nurse in order to repay the kindness she had received. This year, she has successfully achieved her goal and started her important work of taking care of other helpless people.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the power of youth around us. Yang lin is merely an ordinary person, but she has perfectly shown us the youths’ determined pursuit of dreams and the sense of personal accountability for the society.

As a youth, we pursue what we like no matter what difficulties we might encounter. We dance, we draw, do sports for life; we dream about becoming a pilot, doctor or teacher. We don’t worry about the difficulties in the same way as the aged, and we don’t lack persistence as kids. We decide what goal to strive for and we work hard for it. It’s our dream that makes our life colorful, and it’s our effort that makes we youth powerful.

As a youth, we have the sense of personal accountability and are willing to repay the society. We grow up in the society, benefit from it, receive warmth from members of it and we know that one day we are supposed to repay it.

Dear fellows, president Xi has encouraged us to pursue our dreams while being responsible, he said that only in this way, will China have a brighter future. My friends, let’s be fearless dreamers and be insistent learners, let’s study for the motherland and get prepared for the future!

Thanks for your listening!