District speech contest a true test of mettle

It’s been said in psychology circles that standing up and speaking in public is one of the most stressful situations a person can encounter in life.
If that’s so, then a dozen Grade 6-8 students from across Rainy River District already have demonstrated they are well-equipped to deal with stress.
Last Thursday night, the Rainy River District School Board—in conjunction with the Northwest Catholic District School Board—held its annual district speech contest at Robert Moore School in Fort Frances.
And as Linda Hill, assistant superintendent for the local public board, told the jam-packed auditorium, “The finalists here tonight have already made a tremendous achievement just getting here,” referring to the competition that occurred within each school for the honour of making the final cut.
Leslie Barr-Kellar, vice-principal at Crossroads School in Devlin, was one of the organizers of the event and she wholeheartedly concurred with Hill’s assessment.
“It’s actually more stressful to get up in front of their own schools than to get up in front of the judges,” she remarked.
Barr-Kellar went on to say public speaking is an integral part of the school curriculum and an important component of communication skills. “We’re preparing them [the students] with life skills,” she stressed.
Last week’s event had a rather unusual twist, however. It was only the second time that Grade 6 students were permitted to compete and the first time there ever was a tie in the standings.
Two students—seventh-grader Dave Sandoval (Robert Moore) and eighth-grader Deanna Saunders (Crossroads)—finished in a dead heat for third place.
The winner was Matthew Hebert, a Grade 8 student at St. Francis School in Fort Frances, while Andrew Friesen, in Grade 8 at the Sturgeon Creek Alternative Program (SCAP), was the runner-up.
The judges were a who’s-who of local education and communication personnel, including Ann Anderson, speech language pathologist with the local public school board.
Rounding out the panel was Donna Dittaro, CAO of the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board, and Kim Gardiman, children’s services manager with the local DSSAB.
Each contestant was given three-five minutes for their speech, with each being judged on content, organization, presentation, and their response to questions posed by questioners Evelyn Fisher and Laurie Walsh.
Although all of the contestants comported themselves admirably, it was obvious that some were more comfortable under the spotlight than others. That was particularly true of the four who emerged with the trophies.
All four seemed to relish the experience and showed little or no sign of nervousness.
Sandoval was particularly extroverted and almost boisterous as he described the virtues of “El Salvador.” The judges apparently were impressed by the fact he speaks Spanish fluently and he used that language from time to time throughout his speech.
His description of that Central American country showed a great deal of research had gone into his presentation, which came across much like tourism pitch.
Saunders, meanwhile, had the audience in the palm of her hand as she described in exquisite detail the trials of dealing with “Monsters Under Your Bed.”
Her quirky, humorous presentation no doubt brought back fond (and not-so-fond) childhood memories for many on hand as she explained the best way to get into bed without being eaten (take a running jump from across the room) and how to reach the upper bunk without having your legs bitten off (avoid the two bottom steps).
Her witty responses to the judge’s questions also brought chuckles from the audience.
Friesen had the audience spellbound as he wove an intricate tale—“Summer Vacation 2003”—about an idyllic houseboat cruise on Lake of the Woods. His speech also was sprinkled with humorous anecdotes, as well as tales of fish that got away and others that didn’t.
But the clear winner was Hebert, who was outrageously funny as he trod through the ethical minefield of “Being Nice.”
Hebert took no prisoners as he unabashedly outed friends and family members by describing what he said to them under potentially volatile circumstances as opposed to what he was really thinking.
He explored the moral and practical issues with a sense of timing and insight that would have done credit to an experienced stand-up comic.
What probably sealed top honours for him was his response when asked by Fisher how his life had been affected while working on his speech. Without missing a beat, Hebert replied, “Most of my friends and teachers don’t trust me right now.”
If nothing else, Hebert probably will be as well prepared as anyone can be when the inevitable day comes and he is confronted with the one question that strikes terror into the heart of every man—“Honey? Does this outfit make me look fat?”
Oh, to be a fly on the wall when that happens.