Speeches
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You feel sick. After the initial shock of anxiety, bordering on terror resulting from your name being called, the bad feeling has barely lessened. You stare out across the packed gym, you feel your legs go weak and your hands start to shake.
You realize you’ve been standing in front of the crowd of students silent for far too long. You gather your courage and utter the first words: “Teachers, students and honored judges”…..
You pause, no, no, no! You can’t mess up now. You peer out at the crowd again; your best friend in the second row is looking worried. You glance at your cue cards furtively and then mentally kick yourself. You clear your mind, take a deep breath and speak again. This time, words flow from your mouth. You keep speaking, sentences forming without pause until the final words: “thank you.”
As you stumble off the podium you hear clapping. You take your seat and relief washes over you. It’s over. You did it.
It’s that time of year: Our Lady of Fatima’s students, from Grade 4 to 7, have just made it through speeches.
Every student had to independently write, memorize and perform a speech in front of their classmates. Then the teachers picked several of the best speeches from individual classes and invited their creators to repeat them in the gym for the whole school and interested parents. The best speeches, as judged by a panel, would continue to the semifinals. This year we had some exceptional and completely original new speeches…
Placing first for junior was Jaeger with his hilarious speech on laughter. He regaled us with comically presented facts on laughter and explained why we find certain things funny. Second place for junior was Jayden with his speech on sleep. He laid open the meanings of dreams and gave explanations for why we just can’t function without rest. Third place was Angela with her immaculately memorized speech on fear and phobias. Tying Angela for third was Ryan and his speech on bulldogs (Our Lady of Fatima’s mascot).
For intermediate, Matthew came in first with his funny and intriguing speech on how to annoy your teacher (this was a favorite for the students). Placing second was Maddy with a speech on Bucket Lists outlining what she had on her list of things to do before she dies and some suggestions for the audience. Finally, Ashley came third with an inspiring speech on the life and legacy of Walter Disney.
I was greatly impressed with all of the speeches I heard and appreciated the courage it must have taken to recite them in front of the school. It makes me proud to be an Our Lady of Fatima student to hear these works of art. Thank you.