Seniors Present 2023 Hemenways
Thursday, April 27—Six seniors sat on the stage of the David E. and Stacey L. Goel Theater prepared to give the speech of a lifetime during all-school Assembly.
The 110th Annual Hemenway Prize for Speaking Competition has been underway for weeks. In March, the entire senior class came together in the theater and listened intently as every member of the class delivered their own thoughtfully crafted, five-minute speech. More than just a platform for soon-to-be graduates to showcase writing and presentation skills, the competition is a unique and powerful bonding experience.
The finalists—Vi Danahy ’23, Melissa Gutierrez ’23, Jeremiah Hickman-Maynard ’23, Anissa Patel ’23, Olivia Sarkis ’23, and Raina Sohur ’23—were selected by a panel of judges along with input from all 62 members of Class VIII. Now, it was time to share those speeches with the whole school.
Head of School Sarah Pelmas introduced the seniors and spoke about the history of this annual competition, which has its roots in the core Winsor value of speaking one’s mind. Students share something that they have learned, something that matters to them, or something they want others to understand from their perspective.
Ranging from heartfelt to lighthearted, this year’s finalists shared stories that had the entire auditorium cheering. They covered topics such as growing and evolving alongside the natural world, trying on new glasses and getting a diversity of perspectives to see the world in a clearer light, using “what you have / to do what you can / to make the world a better place,” building community through the daily ritual of the New York Times mini crossword puzzle, discovering how to be a hero in your own life, and finding unexpected inspiration from a summer science internship.
The judges for this year’s competition are World Languages faculty and Spanish teacher Jim Jer-Don (affectionately called “Señor” by the students), current English faculty and alumna Jennie Skeele ’71, P’98, ’02, and alumna Kamaya Prince Thompson ’00. Based in New York City where she is the Head of Upper School at the Brooklyn Friends School, Thompson is a former Hemenway Prize for Speaking Competition winner and made a special trip to Boston to hear this year’s finalists. The speeches are judged based on substance, organization, style, presentation, and clarity. The winner of today’s presentations will be announced at the Awards Celebration in June.
Established by an original Corporator, Harriett Hemenway, the Hemenway Prize for Speaking Competition traces its roots to 1913. The competition challenges seniors to develop and deliver a speech of substance, and reflects Winsor’s long-held belief in the importance of public speaking skills and the ability to speak one’s mind. A strong, outspoken woman and animal rights activist, Ms. Hemenway founded the Mass. Audubon Society in the late 1800s.
