Schools
MTHS Junior Takes Home Top Prize in the State
"I love to persuade," said Zachary Klein about extemporaneous speaking.
Name: Zachary Klein, 16
School: Junior at Montville Township High School.
Award: Placed 1st in the state in International Extemporaneous Speaking. “What that means,” explained Klein, “is that we are given 30 minutes to prep a seven minute speech on a question that we draw before the round. In international, they’re all internationally based. They range from anything from foreign policy, to the middle east, to China.” Normally the Extemporaneous Speaking category encompasses both domestic and International topics. However, due to the large pool of contenders at the state level, the event is divided into separate categories. Klein survived five preliminary rounds and a final round against 16 other extemporaneous speakers to bring home the gold. “I was dumbfounded,” Klein said about winning. “It was probably the first time I have ever cried of joy in my life.”
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Forensics: Klein is the president of the MTHS team. His 1st place win helped his team take 2nd place in the state. Klein has been involved with Montville’s award winning Forensics team since his freshman year. During the past three years he has tried all categories of Forensics competition, but extemporaneous speaking is his favorite. “Improvisational acting is a little too up and down and erratic for my tastes…I love the facts. The facts, truth, being able to convince people of an idea that you want to set up. That’s what I really love to do. I love to persuade.” Last year Klein placed 3rd in the state in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking. “I started [Forensics] in September of my freshman year and I haven’t looked back since,” he noted.
Mentor: Almost 70 students comprise the MTHS Forensics team. About 40 participate each week. As president, Klein acts as a mentor to others, providing critiques and suggestions to both peers and underclassmen seeking to perfect public speaking techniques. “Because I am president of the Forensics team I do have to deal with a lot of my own peers and a lot of younger kids and I try to help make sure that their education in public speaking is fun and exciting.” Klein is after school two to three hours every day coaching speakers and planning forensic activities. In addition he dedicates two to three hours each week to his own competition needs. “I read the feedback I get from tournaments, I give practice speeches, and I read a lot to keep up on current events.”
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Activities: Klein is also the Senior News Editor for the MTHS newspaper, “The Podium.” He is active in Future Business Leaders of America, The History Club, his Hebrew school, and Camp New Day, a camp for adults with disabilities. “I try to keep myself busy because I like to help people and I like to stay busy.”
Favorite Subjects: English, History, Economics, Journalism. “Overall all kinds of history, social sciences and Humanities courses as a whole.”
Goals: The junior would like to get into college before he makes “any other big jumps.” Then he hopes to pursue a post graduate education, possibly a doctorate or law degree. He also wants to do something “a lot more fun,” than studying, like staying close with friends, and traveling the world. “Which, with the entire international aspect of what I do, might put a new twist on how I view the world,” he added.
Possible Career: “A lot of people joke and say that I am going to be a lawyer, and I am sad to admit that that’s probably going to be true,” said Klein. “Other than that, though, I don’t know. Something that really interests me a lot is political science and international relations. So whether it’s a field in diplomacy or something in government I would certainly love to pursue a job in those fields as well.”
Advice: “Read your news sources, read the ‘New York Times,’ read the ‘Wall Street Journal,’ try to get an even balanced idea of what is going on…stay very focused on what the truth is, what the facts are.”
Philosophy: “I’d say that I dedicate myself to my friends and my school work and anything that can combine the two is especially exciting to me like forensics.”
