Reports From the Springs School Journalism Club

Members of the Springs School Journalism Club are writing articles on the goings-on at their school. The Press is publishing certain selections from the club throughout the school year.

Students Write Great Speeches in English Class

When students deliver speeches in front of an audience, it can improve confidence and enhance speaking skills. The eighth grade students in Emily O’Reilly’s English class recently learned that.

She has each student write a speech about something in the world they think should change. For example, Lindsey Grimes wrote about ChemTrails, which are those streaky clouds you see in the sky. These trails can make people’s allergies worse and can release chemicals that can be harmful.

It was a tough decision, but O’Reilly chose eight students (known as the Elite Eight ) to move on to the finals. The eight students O’Reilly picked were: Isabella Villa, Rafaela DeMartis, Nadia Binozi, Maya Scammell, Andrey Verdugo, Aurora Brussel, Lindsey Grimes, and Nicole Pirir.

On May 1, O’Reilly brought the Elite Eight to the school’s library after school, where friends and family were eagerly awaiting their presentations. Three judges were looking for the top three speeches out of the eight students. The judges were Erik Kelt (principal), Nancy Carney (superintendent), and Georgia Flight (East Hampton High School AP Research teacher).

After the students gave their speeches, the judges stepped out to discuss the top three winners in private. The tone in the room was intense with anticipation. The Elite Eight could not wait to hear the results.

Finally the three judges entered. Before they announced the winners, each student was given a medal and certificate. As for the finalists, the third place winner was Isabella Villa, who spoke about immigration. Rafa DeMartis came in second. She spoke about how books should not be banned. Nadia Binozi took first place with her speech about income and equality.

Students in the audience ran to congratulate their friends while they received their trophies.

“I was nervous, but I powered through and it felt amazing,” finalist Lindsey Grimes said.

The students learned the value of researching a topic, and delivering their findings to an audience.

—Callie Grimes, grade six

Saddle Up With a Good Book in Springs School

Some kids may dislike reading, but in Springs School, many kids love it because of an event called Pick a Reading Partner, or PARP. PARP is launched by having kids design a theme on a piece of paper. In the past, examples of themes were “Dig Up a Good Book,” and “Reading is Magical.”

Then, the Springs School staff vote on which theme they like the most. After that a rally is organized and the theme is revealed to students in grades K-5.

Finally, the kids participate in a reading challenge for three weeks in which they read a book and then mark it off on a calendar.

At the end of each week, the percentage of participation for each elementary class is put up on a board. The class with the most points wins a prize.

In a recent interview, fifth grader Penni Picco stated she was in shock when she was announced as the winner of the theme contest and she was very excited when she won. Her theme was “Saddle Up a Good Book.” She also stated that her sister helped her come up with the great theme. PARP continues to be a fun and engaging tradition which the students in the elementary grades look forward to.

—Saoirse Quinn, grade six