One student from Glendale is going to be putting her speech skills to the test against the best academies of the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens at the end of the month.
Daleth Martinez, an eighth-grader from Sacred Heart Catholic Academy of Glendale, was able to talk her way to first place in the school’s annual oratorical contest on April 24. Martinez bested seven other sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders to claim the title, earning the right to advance to the Diocesan-wide oratorical contest at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy in Forest Hills on May 31.
Martinez expertly delivered the “U.N. Earth Summit Speech” to take first place, while fellow classmate Lauren Giesse presented Susan B. Anthony’s speech “On a Woman’s Right to Vote” and earned second place honors.
The eight students began their road to the Sacred Heart event back in January when they were selected to compete in the contest. Over the months they began choosing and memorizing each line of their speeches, which were originally presented by notable speakers such as journalist Robin Roberts and former president Barack Obama, and practicing the perfect delivery to make an impression on the judges.
“Although these students make this look easy, in reality it is not,” said Jack Seely, a volunteer who coaches the oratorical contestants and teaches weekly presentation skills classes at Sacred Heart. “They are very talented and hard-working young people.”
Contestants were judged on a range of criteria including presentation style, vocal delivery, physical delivery and speech interpretation.
