Round Rock High School Junior To Compete In 'Educators Rising' National Meet

ROUND ROCK, TX -- Future teacher Addie Quinn, a junior at Round Rock High School, will be traveling to Boston this summer to compete in the Educators Rising national meet.

She advances to the national competition after emerging as a champion in the state creative lecture contest, district officials announced.

Educators Rising national competitions are performance-based competitive events in which aspiring adolescent teachers demonstrate their knowledge, skills and leadership in education, according to the organization's mission statement.

The student earned first place at the Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) creative lecture competition, during which she spoke of how student voice could influence the structure of the education system. Her presentation focused on relieving the pressure of testing and incorporating more cross-curricular aspects into the classroom.

“I have a lot of opinions about how the education system could change so I just went in there and talked,” Quinn said. “It ended up being really good.”

Quinn said she was able to hone the public speaking skills that served her so well in competition during classes at Round Rock. The competition itself yielded an invaluable opportunity to gain new experiences in furthering those skills, she added.

Winners of the national competition have the opportunity to win scholarships to Boston University.

“It’s crucial for students to find their voice and express themselves in different situations,” Quinn said. “If I had never done this competition, I wouldn’t have found that I like public speaking. It’s important to immerse yourself with different activities so you can find what you like and run with it.”