Harvey School News

The ongoing pandemic did not silence the voices of Upper School students or cancel the tradition of The Harvey School's annual Speech Contest. With perseverance and with the guidance of their teachers, Upper School students exercised the power of their words by writing a persuasive speech on a topic of their choice. Although this year made the task a bit more daunting with social distancing, wearing masks, and remote learning, students and teachers alike adapted and improvised. In December, students rose to the challenge and recorded their speeches on video, preserving the tradition of the Harvey Speech Contest.
 
“It takes courage to speak with conviction, especially during times of volatile uncertainty,” said Chair of the English Department Jeff Seymour. “I want to applaud all our students for their efforts. Harvey students gave speeches that entertained, enlightened, inspired, and challenged us,” he said.
 
Upper School students and faculty watched the recorded speeches of the eight finalists Jan. 12 during advisory periods, when the winner was announced.

 

 

Congratulations to the 2021 Speech Contest winner, junior Halima Konteh, for her speech "Safety for Sex Workers."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honorable mention was awarded to senior Adama Abdul-Wahab for her speech "Unprecedented Times."

 

 

 

 

 

The other six US finalists were freshmen Reid Armas and Katie McCulloch; sophomores Emma Galgano and Hudson Chris; junior Renee Chen; and senior Keegan Glucksman.

 

Thank you to our judges (from left): Ms. Jen Parrucci of Portland, OR, Senior Taxonomist with The New York Times and book editor; Tom Leaf from Danbury, a public defender for the Connecticut Public Defender Services; and Ms. Katie Hacala from Los Angeles, head of development for Delirio Films.