On Thursday, November 8th, the Performing Arts Center was filled with SHS students who share one common value: a unique appreciation for American democracy. The WINN Block gathering featured student presentations from the top three contestants in this year’s Voice of Democracy speech competition, which has become a popular SHS tradition. This year, students from every grade submitted 3 to 5-minute speeches responding to the question “Is America Today Our Forefathers’ Vision?” Sponsored by Scituate’s Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Auxiliary, the highly competitive competition challenges students to think critically about the state of America’s government and how they can contribute.
History Department Chair Samantha Lesniak, who organized the competition with SHS English teacher Catherine Hall, thoroughly enjoyed this year’s speeches, commenting that it is a “unique opportunity for students to publicly speak about their views in an educated and informed manner.” As a teacher with 18 years of experience, Lesniak believes one of the most essential purposes of the program is to “bridge the gap” between SHS students and the local veteran community. Lesniak reflected on this year’s submissions, saying, “They were all so wonderful.” Lesniak also made a point to acknowledge how significantly this tradition has grown in just the past few years, remarking, “It’s incredible to see how confident students have become in using their voice.”
This year, 24 students submitted speeches for consideration. To begin the process, all speeches were read by history and English teachers. Then, the top seven speech writers were notified they would present their speeches in person after school to a panel of judges. The judging panel included respected individuals from the community: SPS Business Manager Thomas Rabb, former Select Board member Maura Curran, VFW Auxiliary member Coni Wessman, SHS Assistant Principal Lisa Kirk, Gates Middle School Principal Ryan Beattie, retired Gates English teacher Ruth Yasin, Sports Journalist and SHS graduate Jack Nelson, and UCLA student and SHS graduate Emma Reidel. Judges used the Voice of Democracy scoring system, which includes points for originality, content, and presentation, to determine the top three speeches.
This year’s top-scoring speeches reflected personal interpretations of the current state of American democracy. First-place winner Anzhelika (Angelica) Khadzhem, second-place winner Mason Alvarez, and third-place winner Ruth (Ruthie) Collins are all juniors. Coincidentally, they are classmates in the same AP Language and Composition class.
Khadzhem described how her family’s background has fundamentally influenced her values. Born in Russia, Khadzhem was taught “never to lose sight” of her privileges. She noted that her experience immigrating to the United States “instilled a deep gratitude for living in a democracy where freedom is attainable.” Reflecting on her participation in this year’s competition, Khadzhem remarked how it was a “rewarding experience,” adding, “My own family’s story is a testament to the promise of America.”
Khadzhem may have earned first place due to her description of a deeply personal moment in her life: being sworn in as a United States citizen at the age of seven. In her speech, she said the judge who administered the Oath of Citizenship remarked, “Your rights are like a muscle–if you do not exercise them, they will atrophy.” Khadzhem commented, “I believe this competition embodies that idea perfectly.” She said presenting her American story to her peers “was such a special moment.”
In his speech, Alvarez focused on the “blessings of liberty.” Acknowledging the inspiring journey his grandfather, Laureano Alvarez, took after immigrating to the United States from Cuba in 1962, Alvarez said stories such as his grandfather’s illustrate how the blessings of liberty “are a real, consequential piece” to the very idea of America. Alvarez “highly recommends” the Voice of Democracy speech competition to underclassmen, as he believes students can develop “a deeper understanding of America while also winning a cash prize.”
The VFW Auxiliary and Scituate High Opportunities and Resources for Education (SHORE) award cash prizes to the top three finalists in the annual competition. This year, the first-place prize totaled $250, the second-place prize was $175, and third-place was $50.
Collins noted that the speech competition “allows you to talk about the things you don’t get to talk about in history class.” Incorporating her prior knowledge from history courses, Collins critically analyzed whether the nation’s forefathers and future citizens would approve of the current state of America. Collins stated, “Our forefathers laid the foundation, but it is up to us to build upon it, making sure their vision evolves to meet the needs of the complex and diverse society our world is today.”