Sixth grader Gloria Marksteiner, representing Mountain Elementary School, delivers her speech ‘How Do You Silence Your Phone?’ by Addison Steffer, during the recent Elementary Speech Showcase.Courtesy/LAPS
This year’s Elementary Speech Showcase was hosted recently at SALA Events Center. Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS News:
Fifteen students representing all five Los Alamos elementary schools recently participated in the 2023 Elementary Speech Showcase. This year’s event was held at SALA Events Center.
Los Alamos Middle School Hawktalkers Speech and Debate Coach Sherri Bublitz was the Master of Ceremonies. Hawktalkers Erin Brodnax and Seb Koglin, and Los Alamos High School Hilltalkers Emma Frost and Tevita Funaki, helped with the program.
This is only the 3rd year for the Elementary Speech Showcase featuring the top three speeches from each school following each individual school’s speech contest. The district has hosted District Speech Contest for more than 20 years.
This year’s participants and their speeches include:
Aspen Elementary School
- Millis Bonser, 5th grade, Oh, the Places You’ll Go, Dr. Seuss
- Leann Harwell, 5th grade, Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss
- Gianna Rolfe, 6th grade, William Shakespeare’s Star Wars, Ian Doescher
Barranca Mesa Elementary School
- Alexander Justus, 6th grade, Wimpy Big: Big Shot, Beginning
- Monologue, Jeff Kinney
- Naomi Miller, 6th grade, The Back of the Keeper of the Lost Cities
- Series, Simon and Schuster
- Alexander Sandborgh, 6th grade, The Pied Piper of Hamelin,
- Robert Browning
Chamisa Elementary School
- Mae Willard, 6th grade, Stanford Commencement Speech, Steve Jobs
- Jetta Parsons, 6th grade, The Sorting Hat’s New Song, an excerpt from Harry Potter and the
- Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling
- Sadie Carpenter, 6th grade, Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs retold by Mo Williams
Mountain Elementary School
- Alice Chen, 4th grade, Space Exploration, Britannica Kids
- Evelyn Fobes, 4th grade, On the Pulse of Morning, Maya Angelou
- Gloria Marksteiner, 6th grade, How Do You Silence Your Phone?, Addison Steffer
Piñon Elementary School
- Sophia Jones, 6th grade, Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon, Patty Lovell
- Sam Mecham, 6th grade, Tikki Tikki Tembo, Arlene Mosel
- Sarah Sanders, 5th grade, Miss Spider’s Tea Party, David Kirk
Speech Contest coordinators at each school site include Alisa Rolfe, Aspen Elementary; Pam Miller, Barranca Mesa Elementary; Taylor Pomeroy, Chamisa Elementary; Erin Cook, Mountain Elementary; and Bonnie James, Piñon Elementary.