Communication is one of the human abilities that, for as long as we can remember, has allowed us to shape our thinking, share knowledge and emotions, and, ultimately, understand one another; without it, there would simply be no human progress.
In just one month, our students have taken to the stage, won awards, and represented the school in a range of projects. This is how communication makes a difference at St PETER’S.
From our very first words—mum, dad—we begin to give form to what we think. It is through this process that thought itself becomes increasingly abstract as our ability to express it grows.
Today, in a moment when we so often rely on artificial tools to speak for us, at St PETER’S we continue to place real value on communication, because it is not only a way of expressing ideas, but a way of thinking, of structuring them, and, ultimately, of shaping identity.
The TED Talks experience in Year 3
This work begins early.
Last week, our Year 3 students demonstrated the power of words as they stood up to defend ideas that mattered to them—such as animal rights, poverty, or even how to build a budget—with a clarity and intention that, at just eight years old, reminded us how essential it is to be able to express ourselves in order to understand the world and find our place within it.
They embraced the spirit of TED Talks (Ideas worth spreading) and managed not only to communicate well-structured ideas, but to truly own them on stage, showing confidence in both verbal and non-verbal communication.
Families and teachers could not have been prouder.
From debate to public speaking
This was not just a one-off moment, but part of a wider communication program that begins in the early years and continues throughout the entire educational journey.
Just the weekend before, 8 finalist selected among our Year 7 students travelled to Madrid—quite an adventure—to take part in a public speaking competition (Torneo de Oratoria de CICAE), while in Year 10, our student Carlos Otón achieved third place in the 4 Voices competition, whose final took place at CosmoCaixa, after being selected from more than 50 participants and taking part in a training program for the 12 finalists.
His talk, Life’s Greatest Teacher, moved the audience not only because of what he said, but because of how he said it—drawing on personal experience, reflecting on moments that shaped his learning, and showing a sense of authenticity and persistence that those of us who know him immediately recognised.
Back in January, before traveling to New York for another edition of MUNNY, our Year 10 participated in the traditional Debate League organised by CICAE.
The power of words to shape the future
The Singularity Model United Nations is another space where our Year 9 students bring these skills to life, working alongside international schools from across Spain and demonstrating, once again, the importance of communication in diplomacy, negotiation and the building of agreements.
One of the most recent and innovative projects has been Take Action, a geopolitical workshop in Year 8 organised together with Educalia, an educational innovation institution dedicated to bringing real-world challenges into the classroom. Integrated into the students’ regular timetable, the workshop invited them to step into the role of delegates tasked with finding solutions to global issues connected to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while developing key skills such as negotiation, argumentation and communication.
The project connects naturally with the Model United Nations experience in Year 9, helping students gradually build the skills they will need for future challenges.
All of this… in the space of a single month.
Beyond public speaking: communication as a gateway to creativity
Communication is also developed across multiple disciplines; in subjects such as Drama, for example, students explore new ways of expressing themselves, and this very week one of our Year 10 students is performing as the lead actor in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, expanding his ability to communicate through body, emotion and presence.
And then there are the foundations: languages and literature, where reading, writing and thinking move forward together.
We close with another moment that fills us with pride: our Year 4 student, Helena Ortuño, was named a finalist in the “Alas de Papel” poetry award for her poem El Cielo.
Expressing ideas to build the world we want to live in
Is this something to be proud of? Without a doubt, but not because of the awards themselves, but because of what they represent: the consistent work of students and teachers, and the shared belief that communication not only makes us more human, but also allows us to develop thinking, creativity, empathy, and the ability to influence, consciously, the world we want to build.
