Whiz Kid: Kevin Donnelly

Name: Kevin Donnelly

School: Catholic Memorial - Donnelly is a junior

Key to Awesomeness:  Donnelly is making his name in Speech and Debate competitions. After finishing ninth in the nation with his Declamation last year – a recreation of Robert DeLaughter's speech in the infamous Medgar Evans case, made famous in the 1994 film Ghosts of Mississippi – Donnelly is now finding success with his own Original Oratory speech, “33 Stratford Street,” named for his West Roxbury address.

The speech’s strength qualified him for an early December tournament at George Mason University. He also used it to vault himself to the quarterfinals of the Sunvitational tournament in Fort Lauderdale, FL, in January. Also, just before Christmas, in arguably Massachusetts’s biggest tournament – Natick High School’s Holly Festival – he placed third, again through his original speech.

Accomplishments: Donnelly is one of 13 Catholic Memorial students who qualified for the National Catholic Forensic League's Grand Tournament in May. He qualified due to his Original Oratory speech.