Contest #14: Promotion Speeches

Contest:  Bryant Middle School 8th Grade Promotion

Genre:  Speech

Theme:  Step by Step

Prize: to be a promotion speaker with all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto

Publication:  Commencement exercises - June 8,  2011

Odds of winning:  I can almost guarantee that at least one of my students will win this one!

 The second year I taught ESL, I had a student right and audition to be a promotion speaker.  She asked me to help revise and edit her speech, but otherwise she did all on her own.  In her speech, she explained how she started Bryant Middle School as a 7th grader without speaking one word of English and there she was, just two years later, giving a speech on the stage in front of the student body, faculty, and parents.  It was a big hit and every year since, I've been asked to find one or two speakers from my program to speak at promotion.
Over the years, it has been a great experience for many students.  I've had a speaker from my program almost every single year.
This year, in keeping with our writing contest theme, I decided to have every single 8th grader write a speech.  I offered extra credit to them if they would audition.  Twelve of my students auditioned. 
In total, seventeen students auditioned, and although most of the speeches are quite short, it's impossible to have that many speakers at promotion.  We decided to have callback auditions this Friday and look for the students who are most prepared.
I've been talking to my students about the callback auditions.  Some students started out doing this simply for the extra credit, but now most genuinely want to speak.  It's going to be a difficult decision, but we will get as many students on the stage as we possibly can.
Did I mention their speeches are amazing?