Thursday, February 1, 2018

WHSPEAKS THEIR MIND


By SAMANTHA PRYDE

Among the seven honor societies here at Washingtonville High School, the National English Honor Society is one of the lesser known.  The fact that the club does not have nearly as many members as the other honor societies and that this is only their second year running, does not stop them from doing big things.

Ted Talks have become an up and coming way to get points across to students in the classroom through engaging and factual speeches.  TED is a nonprofit organization with a mission to spread ideas, through short, yet powerful talks.  Each talk is recorded in front of a live audience and can be viewed online at ted.com.  Anything from science to global issues are discussed in these talks.  NEHS has been planning to do their own version of this called, “WHSpeaks” since September. 

SAMANTHA PRYDE FOR THE WIZARD WEEKLY
President of National English Honor Society, Samantha Crouch, wanted to “create something for NEHS that would allow us to make an impact even in our first few years.”   So, she designed a two day event that will be held sometime in the late spring.  Both days will be  filled with speeches written and spoken by anyone in the community who wants to partake.  The speakers will be able to write about anything that they are passionate about and want the rest of the community to gain knowledge on. 

On the first day, all of the speeches will be given, not only by the NEHS members, but by people in the community as well.  It is open to the public, so anyone is welcome to come and listen.  The second day is a little different.  Only a select few of the speeches from the previous day will be shared to the public: around 10-15 of the best.  There will be a variety of foods and refreshments served, and the proceeds will go towards fundraising for the honor society.  

Senior, Kate Rocke, is a new member to NEHS this year and is undoubtedly thrilled to have such a meaningful event happen in her hometown.  “Words have such a powerful hold on our emotions and I can’t wait to see how everyone expresses theirs.”  She is still unsure of what her speech will be about but,  “I will most likely write about how high school has shaped me into the person I am today, and the people that helped me along the way.”

Samantha Crouch wanted to give others an opportunity to have their voices heard, “WHSpeaks was designed specifically to give a platform to those who are passionate about certain things but feel as if they have nowhere to talk about it.”  Even after she graduates this year, she hopes that the following members will carry on the tradition,  and have this annually for years to come.

Everyone is passionate about something different and would love a chance to express these emotions with others.  WHSpeaks is the perfect way for anyone in the community to freely speak their minds and preach to others about what moves them the most. 

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