Amherst Middle School Holds Wells’ Speaking Contest

Submitted by Amherst Middle School.

Each January, students in grades five, six and seven at the Amherst Middle School begin preparing for the annual Wells’ Speaking Contest in February.

Fifth grade students choose a story or picture book story that interests them, memorize it and then perform it for their classes. After the classroom competition, select students performed for their teams and then presented to the entire grade level.  Four students are chosen to perform in the final round of competition.

The sixth grade follows the same procedure with folk tales or myths. The seventh grade students take on the challenge of writing their own personal narratives, and delivering these in the varying levels of competition.

This year the final competition was on Monday, February 18, 2013 and the performances were exceptional.  The students dazzled the audience with enthusiasm, poise and talent. Finalists included Evmorfia Alton, Kate Boyea, Alyssa Saunders, and Julia Tilton from the fifth grade, Caroline Apiki, William Drake, Kate Eastland, and Abby Kirk from the sixth grade, and Sean Corrigan, Emily Eccleston, Kaitlin Griffin, and Ben Wesenberg from the seventh grade.

The final winners from this year’s contest were fifth grader, Kate Boyea with her presentation of “Gingerbread Fred”, sixth grader Kate Eastland with “The Paper Bag Princess”, and seventh grader, Kaitlin Griffin, with her personal memory of “The Juice Fiasco”.  Seventh grader Sean Corrigan was given the Aaron Ebbert Award for enthusiasm and excellence in public speaking.

It was an outstanding evening of excitement and entertainment and we look forward to seeing what next year will bring.