Speaking Up

Share a funny story. That was the deceptively simple challenge put forth to all students for this year’s annual Wilder Speaking Prize oratory contest at Brooks.

The result — after weeks of in-class brainstorming, writing and public speaking presentations — was three speeches presented to the whole campus community in Chapel on Friday by Finley Cronin '27 and Lyla McKechnie '27 (who presented in tandem), Brooke Scanlon '28 and Jackson Robbins '28.

The amusing topics? A friend's reactions to Robbins’ fib about being a competitive water polo player, how Cronin and McKechnie learned to embrace silly social 'mistakes' they've made and Scanlon’s self-deprecating dramatization of an injury to her finger during an ice cream run.

“You made us laugh and warmed our hearts with your funny stories,” Chair of the English Department Danielle Coriale said to all gathered together in Chapel for the announcement of the winner yesterday. “We are grateful to you for sharing them with us.”

“The Wilder is an important tradition, one that has persisted at Brooks for 64 years, and with good reason,” Coriale noted before declaring Robbins the winner (decided by the results of an electronic poll plus verdict from a panel of judges who assessed speeches on tone and delivery, content and clarity). “It helps to transform our students into confident public speakers who can change the world for the better with their voices.”

Watch the announcement on our Campus Highlights page.

“I enjoyed being able to share my writing and presentation to more people than a typical assignment would allow for,” Robbins said after giving his speech. “I learned that I am better at public speaking than I thought, and I’m able to remain calm in stressful situations.”

Making it to the finals was win enough for Scanlon, who just enrolled at Brooks at the end of January.

“It was obviously scary talking in front of the school, because I don't know a lot of people,” she said. “It was really big to kind of step out of my comfort zone and talk in front of everyone because I've never really done that before, even at my old school, so I think it was a good way to adjust and let people kind of get to know me.”

Performing as a pair “was definitely comforting,” said McKechnie, for her part. “We could tell a better story going back and forth,” added Cronin. “Getting on stage was definitely nerve-racking, but I'm glad I did it.”

Communication is one of Brooks’ six school-wide competencies.

Prior to 2022, the competition was an elective endeavor. But in recent years, all students write and perform a speech in their English class following a school-wide prompt each February. Giving every student the opportunity to take up the challenge means each benefits from the exercise, no matter how far they continue in the competition.

“The Wilder is a rare moment for the school to come together on a single project,” noted English Teacher Sam Spicer, the competition organizer. “Every student participates and cheers on their classmates through the final round.”

“One of the greatest things I've seen in the speeches is an impressive, and unflinching, level of vulnerability, often in amusingly embarrassing moments,” Spicer added, “but also in poignant ones centering bonds of friendship and family, in all its forms.”

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