Palmer Trinity School

C R A F T I N G C O N F I D E N C E : M A S T E R I N G P U B L I C S P E A K I N G W R I T T EN B Y P E T E T OL M A C H , HE A D OF MIDDL E S C HO OL Top photos, left to right: Cameron Kelsey, Mikail Edoo, Mila Durso, Ari Lee-Schonfeld and Miles Tolmach. After many years of discussion, the Upper School Division Head, Ashley Chapman, and I decided at the end of the 2022 - 2023 school year to establish a speaker series for the 8 th and 12 th grades. The idea was to have every single 8 th -grade student and every senior speak at the middle school and upper school chapels. The eighth grade would speak during middle school chapel and the seniors would speak to the upper school. Ultimately, the decision for the topic of the speech was left to the students presenting but there was a tremendous amount of guidance for those who needed some help. Public speaking is an art form that takes a great amount of practice. For our students who start Palmer Trinity School in the 6 th grade, that process begins through participation in the Discovery Wheel. The Wheel, as it is commonly known, provides students with opportunities in many areas for some time of about five weeks that students rotate through. By the end of the year, each 6 th -grade student will have had experience with public speaking. Then in 7 th grade, as a step beyond the discovery wheel, students participated in the Genius Project which culminates with a presentation that they have researched. The goal behind this project is that students research an area that they find interesting and want to learn more about. At the end of the process, the students present their findings. It is widely encouraged that they make the presentation interesting to the audience and they cannot read off of paper. Much of the skills they need for this presentation are introduced in the 6 th Grade Wheel. Finally, as the students enter 8 th grade, they are asked to sign up for a time to make their 8 th -grade Spotlight Speech. In each of these cases, the audience has grown - from one class in 6th grade to two classes in 7 th grade to finally the entire middle school in 8 th grade. It is firmly believed that as students get older, speaking in front of a large crowd provides more benefits than otherwise. "It is important for students to have the opportunity to stand in front of their peers, to use their voice to share ideas and be heard, and to understand the potential they have as a leader," says Andrea Fresco, Director of Student Affairs. Through the leadership of Andrea Fresco and Chaplain Mary Ellen Cassini, the students practice speaking in the chapel with them. To Mrs. Fresco and Chaplain Cassini's credit, they help ease the initial anxieties. Yes, students will get nervous and some may not sound as polished as others, but from what has been witnessed this year, the students feel much better once it's done. They may say, "I am glad that's over," but they also have a sense of accomplishment and start to build confidence. They can now look at themselves and say, "Yes, I did that." Speaking in front of a large crowd provides more benefits than otherwise." 35

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