One of the major capstone projects at Unquowa are 8th Grade speeches. These talks are an opportunity for the Unquowa community to hear from each graduating student about a topic that is meaningful to them. Each year, we have inspiring speeches about friends, family, perseverance, secret talents, passions, and a host of other topics that students choose to share with the gathered school community.

Eighth Grade speeches are months-long endeavors that officially begin in September when we offer a short unit on communication and speechwriting and end in April when the last of the 8th Grade speeches have been delivered. Early on, students submit their speech drafts, are given suggestions on edits to make, and then begin practicing, sometimes weeks in advance of their assigned speech date.

For some students, though – especially those who have been with us since Lower School – these speeches are years in the making. All Unquowa students hear about two-dozen speeches each year, and some of the best ones have a tendency to stick with them. In her speech this year, one of our 8th graders, Ava, even referenced a speech she heard in PreK that inspired her to memorize and perform her speech as a theatrical monologue. It was incredible!

This highlights what is so important and special about these speeches: their positive impact on the Unquowa community. Eighth Graders are visible leaders at Unquowa, and younger students listen with rapt attention to what the oldest students want to share with them. Almost every week, starting in late Fall, all of our students get to hear special, personal words from their role models. There’s nothing like it!

As we come to the end of the year, please enjoy a look back at some of the amazing speeches by these amazing young people. If these are any indication, it is so clear that they are going to wildly succeed in high school and beyond!
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Note: Please locate the forward arrow(top left) to move through the 19 speeches.