Hollis Brookline students prove their public speaking ability

Each year, a conglomeration of sophomores and freshmen meet in the Hollis Brookline High School auditorium to enjoy speeches by the finest linguists of their classes. This contest, of sorts, has been a highlight of the academic year for some time. It starts as a seemingly arduous task filled with anxiety and stress but ends with feelings of satisfaction and speeches capable of holding an audience captivated. This year, the topic presented for students was “What do you believe, but cannot prove?” Sophomore Matt Mailloux described it as “easier to connect to compared to past years.” Mailloux said that because of this, “The speeches were motivational this year.” The contest began with a preliminary round that took place in each English class. Freshmen were required to produce a talk lasting three to four minutes, while the sophomores had to create a speech lasting four to five minutes. After this round, each class elected its best speaker, who proceeded to the finals. After all the words had been spoken in the auditorium, three winners from each grade were selected and given prize money based on their placement: $50 for first, $25 for second and $15 for third. Representing the final three among the freshmen were Hugh Devlin, Elliot Rowe and Ben Goodman . Their winning topics ranged from comedic to solemn: Devlin’s was “It’s not that bad” and Goodman’s was “Texting is ruining society.” Rowe, whose topic was “Joy comes from a McDonald’s Happy Meal,” summed up the competition by saying, “Overall, it was a fun experience.” He also said he was nervous at first, but, “After I got going, it went a lot smoother.” That seemed to be the consensus among the speakers. The sophomore winners were Tim Udelsman, Cassie Circelli and Jacob Solon respectively. Like the freshmen, their topics reached each extreme of the emotional spectrum: “Women are the eighth wonder of the world” by Udelsman, “Sex is worth waiting for” by Circelli and “Smiles are a great healer” by Solon. Sophomore Grant Johnson, a spectator at the finals, had nothing but praise for the competition. “It allows students to flourish in public speaking,” he said. With the English department at HB ensuring that programs such as this will live on, coupled with the enthusiasm of the participants, the school continues to produce well-versed, truly terrific writers. Evan Russell is a junior at Hollis Brookline High School.