Middle School students in our Public Speaking elective recently put their persuasive skills to the test in a fun and engaging speech competition. As part of the elective, which is one of many offered each quarter, students chose to focus on topics like “Tacos vs. Pizza,” “Pancakes vs. Waffles,” and “Snowball Fight vs. Water Balloon Fight,” using the PEEL method (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) to structure their arguments. After revising and practicing their speeches, they made their case to our 2nd grade class who served as the audience and judges, evaluating the speeches based on eye contact, volume, enthusiasm, and confidence.

“I thought it was an amazing experience. I liked being able to express myself freely. I felt like the 2nd graders were listening and I felt confident. I knew I was pretty good at public speaking so I wanted to take this class to get even better.”
– Sherman, 7th Grade