It’s hard enough to give a speech to a room full of strangers, so imagine giving that speech in a newly learned language.
Students did just that at the Fremont Union High School District’s English Learner Speech Contest on May 14.
English learners from all five district high schools participate in the annual competition at Fremont High School. The contest, which launched in 2008 with 150 students taking part, has since grown to include more than 300 students whose native language isn’t English.
“The idea is that every student gets to experience making a speech and feeling accomplished for putting in the hard work,” said Welton Kwong, the district’s English Learners Program administrator and founder of the competition.
Students selected and researched a topic then worked for a month or more to give a memorized three- to five-minute informative or persuasive speech.
Topics ranged from the Ebola outbreak in Africa to how to become a ninja.
Finalists were chosen after several rounds and then separated into groups of eight to deliver their speeches one more time before the judges picked first-, second- and third-place winners.
The five-hour event concluded with a peppy ceremony to celebrate the students’ accomplishments and award trophies to the winners.
James Park, a first-place winner and junior at Monta Vista High, arrived in the United States last June. His native language is Korean.
He talked about the conflict between parent and child, a topic he chose from his personal experience and out of a desire to encourage others to value their parents before they are gone.
Erica Zhang, a sophomore at Lynbrook High, spoke about how to survive a plane crash.
“I’m afraid to ride airplanes,” Erica said. “So with my speech, I wanted to educate other people to help them but I also wanted to help myself.”
She said that the speech contest was a learning experience that went beyond delivering words.
“I learned that speech is not only about memorizing,” she said. “You have to actually put yourself into it and present it with your own emotion.”
Adults and other students judged the speeches on originality, delivery, content, organization, language and focus.
Sue Larson, communications coordinator for the high school district, said learning to make public speeches in English helps students gain confidence expressing themselves in a new language.
“Students are given the opportunity to demonstrate what they are capable of achieving by presenting something that is difficult to do, thus providing them with a tool to handle tough situations in the future,” she said.
The contest is heavily supported by the community, according to Larson.
“Over 140 board members, FUHSD staff, students, Rotary Club and community volunteers provide support for this event, and speeches are scored on a quantifiable rubric by both adult and student judges,” Larson said.
Kwong created the competition seven years ago to both inspire English learners and prove that they are just as good, if not better, at delivering speeches in English.
“I wanted to create an experience to give students the confidence and mental muscle to take on challenging endeavors,” he said. “I wanted to showcase the students. I wanted the students to celebrate themselves and their peers. I also wanted teachers, administrators, board members and community members to see firsthand what these students can do.”
Jay Lin, dean of students at Fremont High, emceed the awards ceremony and had a message for all the participants.
“You should be proud of your hard work and courage to speak in public,” he said. “Know that you have inspired all of us with your powerful words.”
