On Friday, April 3, PHS AP Language and Composition hosted their annual Ted-talk presentation. Students prepared a Ted-style speech over a topic of their choice and presented it to the student body. The demonstration included speech from Addie Broxterman, Brooklyn Degruson, Adalee Grace, Kale Hayslip, Erika Maxwell, Citlali Salas, Townes Sullivan, Benjamin Thomas, Jonathan Winzer and Hadrian Zurek.

This project is meant to push students beyond simple essays and learn real-world communication skills. Instead of simply writing for their teacher, students are speaking to a large group, explaining topics that are important to them, and really trying to connect with the audience. Another big purpose of this project is building public speaking skills and confidence. Many students aren’t used to presenting on their own ideas, so this project helps them practice organizing their thoughts, speaking clearly, and engaging an audience.

“Preparing to talk in front of people was hard, because I haven’t really done that.” Junior Addie Broxterman said. “So yeah, and I had to figure out how not to say “like” a million times and not to yap the whole time.”

The process wasn’t just learning public speaking, however. Throughout the course of the semester, AP Language students had to refine their speeches, prepare visual aids, and practice over and over again. While these may seem like simple tasks, each piece has to come together to create the speech. When asked what the hardest part was of preparing, Junior Hadrian Zurek said that the hardest part actually ended up being the visual aid.

“The visual aid 100%. I think I’m a great speaker. I hope other people do too,” Zurek said. “I had, like a full year in class to work on it, I have practice, practice and access to resources. Everything was offered to me, visual aids are just a difficult part of writing speeches.”

The TED-style project not only challenged students to step outside their comfort zones, but also gave them the opportunity to share ideas that matter. As they move on, the skills they developed in research, presentation, and public speaking will extend far beyond the classroom.