Middle School In Needham Wins 3 Categories In Speech Competition

NEEDHAM, MA — The world better be ready. With the way the kids at Monsignor Haddad Middle School speak, the future's teachers, politicians, actors, and motivational speakers might be coming straight from Needham.

The middle school took first place in three of the five categories at the Boston Fall Classic Speech Competition on Dec. 1. Haddad Middle School hosted the tournament for 80 students among 11 schools and had good showings in categories including monologue, volte face, stand up comedy, persuasion, and impromptu.

Anna Hvidsten, an eighth grader placed first in the monologue category and second in impromptu. Sixth grader Maegan Horrigan scored top place in volte face. Will Cummings took first place in improptu, fifth place in stand-up comedy and was a semi-finalist for monologues/

Additionally, several other members of the school's forensics team advanced to the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals:

• Grace Culver was a finalist in the volte face category and took seventh place. She was also a semi-finalist in persuasion.
• Cecilia Culver was a quarterfinalist for monologues.
• Bridget Julian was a semifinalist for the volte face and monologue categories.
• Brad Ladino was a semifinalist for monologues.
• Margaret Lagan was a finalit and took eight place in impromptu speaking. She was also a monologue semifinalist.
• Grace Lynch was a monologue quarter-finalist.
• Lovey More was a finalist in the persuasion and monologue categories.
• Peisong Qin took sixth place in impromptu speaking, was a volte face semifinalist, and a monologue quarter-finalist.
• Rosaline Reale went to the semifinals in impromptu and volte face.
• Lucas Zarraga was a semifinalist for the persuasion and volte face categories.
• William Wheeler went to the semifinals in the monologue category.
• Carolyn Simmons was a volte face semifinalist and went to the quarterfinals for monologues.

Photo courtesy of Monsignor Haddad Middle School