The Academy speech team of students in grades five through eight swept the Punahou speech tournament on Apr. 19, taking first place for most superiors and for the highest percentage of superiors.
Lower school speech coach, Susan Phillips, said, “I hope that the students gained self-confidence and poise when speaking in front of others as well as a stronger belief in themselves to do anything they put their minds to. I also hope they learned the willingness to persevere with challenges presented to them so they can see how much they can really do now and in the future.”
Lower school participants included Alyse Glaser, Cienna Abara, Mia Lee, Emma Kauhane, Hunter Kim, Brianna Choy, Fiona Sun, Nikkita Bandack, Emi Horii, Isabella Drag, Naia Lum, Isabella Johnson, Aulii Ludington, Leiolani Faurot, Lucy Gentry and Anri Suzuki.
Sixth grader Anri Suzuki said, “I really enjoy speech tournaments because it teaches me how to be confident in front of other people. Through speech, I have been able to be more confident in other presentations I give in front of my classmates and teachers.
High school speech coach, Jill Sprott, said, “I stand in awe of those who understand that even though speech involves competition, the only people that we are truly competing against are ourselves. Those who keep pushing themselves to come back and to try again despite the outcome have the right mindset. It might appear that the judge determines whether a performer is ‘superior,’ but ultimately, it is the performer who makes that decision through her hard work and commitment. Speech members learn superior skills and habits of mind that they will carry with them through life.”
High school competitors were Maria Stevenson, Serena Luttropp, Natasha Bandack, Eila Phillip, Alana Glaser, Celine Arnobit, Katherine Christian, Julia Oehlers and Jade Spallina.
Stevenson said, “It’s really fun participating in the speech tournaments because through speech, you can exchange stories and emotions. It’s not all about winning. It’s about having fun and enjoying yourself. I especially like getting to meet other people and it’s fun to interact with them.”
The Punahou tournament was the final tournament for this year’s speech season.
