Mahopac Middle School Public Speaking Contest Winners Announced

Press release from Mahopac Middle School:

June 2, 2022

Women’s rights, bullying and what it means to be a hero were the topics that won the day in the Mahopac Middle School’s Public Speaking Contest.

The contest, which has been tradition at Mahopac Middle School for 29 years, gave students up to a minute and a half each to speak and was held after school early in May.

“I gave a speech about heroes and what I think a hero is,” said Kevin Behrendt, an eighth grader who was one of three winners. “I think a hero is someone who does something without the intent of helping themselves.”

Facing a room full of students, parents, current and retired teachers and judges, did not phase Kevin who said he was always confident talking in front of a group.

“Students were invited to speak publicly about the topics of respect or about heroes and heroines,” said Mary Wheeler who teaches special education English and Social Studies at the middle school. “They could write their own speech or read from a printed work. We invite retired teachers, former students and staff to be the judges of the contest. The students are responsible for practicing prior to the contest and are able to invite friends and family to attend. Winners are tallied from the judges scores.”

Matthia Guy, the seventh grade winner, dressed up as a suffragette and talked about women’s rights.

“I found a dress and a sash in the attic,” Matthia said. “I said that women should be just as respected as men when it comes to equal pay and everything else.”

In prepping for the contest, the teachers gave students tips on how to calm their nerves.

“I was a little nervous up there, but I took sips from a glass of water and deep breaths,” said Matthia, who just recently moved to Mahopac. “I want to be an actress or a scientist so being able to give presentations or have better social skills overall will help me.”

Gabriella Olivieri, who won for sixth grade, said she entered the contest just to get over her stage fright.

“I wanted to do it because I have always wanted to do the school play but I was too scared,” Gabriella said. “I wanted to face my fear.”

“I talked about bullying and I shared some stuff about how I got bullied,” Gabriella said. “I feel like it’s good to admit that you’ve been bullied because kids should talk about it.”

This press release was produced by Mahopac Middle School. The views expressed here are the author's own.