Hayes Hardin recites “The Merchant of Venice” Act 4, Scene 1, lines 182-195 by William Shakespeare in the Grammar School Speech Meet. She placed first in the fifth-grade poetry category.
The Geneva School of Boerne Grammar School Speech Meet is an annual event in which students in first through fifth grades choose either a piece of scripture or poetry from a selection and present it in competition. Students memorize their selected piece and present in preliminary rounds to ultimately try to advance to the finals.
Fifteen students in each category (scripture and poetry) advanced to the Speech Meet Finals and presented in front of the Grammar School student body and judges, Mr. Logan Ward and Dr. Melissa Siller. Students were awarded either a first, second or third place medal for their efforts.
Mason McKenzie recites Psalm 27:4-6 in the Grammar School Speech Meet. He placed first in the first-grade scripture category.
Geneva places a high value on memorizing and reciting pieces to present in front of an audience at an early age.
“We are developing rhetoricians in Grammar School through oral presentations and competitions. The annual Speech Meet begins with memorization of scripture and poetry in the classroom then a grade level competition, followed by the semifinals and then finals. Our hope is for students to become confident public speakers,” Grammar School Headmaster Jessica Gombert said.
This year, almost 200 students competed in this voluntary competition and 30 advanced to the finals.