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Speech Contest

Speech Contest landing page banner photo with copy

This year, PD will be hosting its first-ever, all-school speech contest! All division levels will answer the same four questions through their speech, but please see the different time requirements for each grade group. The preliminaries will be held after Spring Break (TBA) while the final, live performance will be on Sunday, April 28, from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. in The Stable. Students who are interested in participating must sign-up on the All School Speech Contest: Interest Form. Please be sure to check your respective division (Lower, Middle, or Upper School) and begin writing a speech.

Each student may set-up individual coaching sessions with a faculty member listed below that is assisting in each division.

Lower School Point Person: Carlisa Warner
Speech Support: Carlisa Warner, Janna Miller, and Sierra Key

Middle School Point Person: Amy Bynum
Speech Support: Amy Bynum, Corley May, and Jamie Hutteman

Upper School Point Person: Katherine Currier
Speech Support: Katherine Currier, Nicole Collins, and Brooke Fulton

Entrants will be required to at least share their speeches in advance with one of the faculty members in their respective division. Those competing will perform their speech in front of judges and an audience of fellow participants. The top two of each division will receive a $50 Amazon gift card and an invitation to present their speech in front of a larger, live audience in April. Recorded speeches will be shared with the greater PDS community.

Please see details for speech requirements and the judges’ rubric by clicking PDS Speech Contest Rubric

PD Core Values:

  • What is a problem that needs to be solved?
  • How might solving it help on a local, national, or international level?
  • How might the way we solve it promote inclusion and build a better community?
  • How might solving it (or working to solve it) build confidence, promote leadership, or inspire creativity?

These questions must be answered in the context of the speech, not just in the introduction and/or conclusion. Please see speech length/time requirements specific to each division listed below. Each speech must not exceed the allotted time.

TK - Second Grade: 1-2 minutes
Second - Fifth: 2-3 minutes
Middle School: 3-4 minutes
Upper School: 4-5 minutes