News & Photos - McDonogh School

Seventh- and Eighth-Grade Orators Give Flawless Speeches

Ten seventh- and eighth-grade oratory finalists took to the stage in the Horn Theatre on Friday, April 21 to deliver their speeches in the culmination of the annual program.

As emcee Trevor F. '27 explained, “Seventh graders were required to write a personal narrative about a significant moment in their lives. The moment could be one of deep realization, great joy or sadness, or simply a moment that stood out to the author for a personal reason.”

The five seventh-grade finalists Gabe C., Ethan D., Kinsley P., Amelie S., and Riv W. delivered speeches with the intriguing titles: Trapped, #bold#risky, Heart of the Home, 1 ½ , and Break a Leg—Wait, not Literally.

Eighth-grade students wrote and delivered personal essays. Emcee Milie S. ’26 explained that they had the option to describe an experience that gave them insight into themselves and their lives, make a persuasive argument about a topic of personal importance, or make an extended observation about the world around them. “The five eighth-grade speakers you will hear from today are the students whose final work was judged to be the finest combination of written and spoken excellence,” she said.

The five finalists from the Class of 2026 were Ryleigh M., Shivank G., Emma R., Kyle R., and Harris G. The titles of their enjoyable and enlightening speeches were:  Mother’s Day, An Ugly Mirror of Truth, The Paradox of Beauty, The Natural Hitman, and Dental Breakdown.

Congratulations to all the finalists and the emcees on their flawless performances.