By Veritas Staff
May 5, 2023
ROCKLAND- Eight seniors competed in the finals of the Spellman Oratorical Contest on April 26.
Sydney Blaney took first prize, a $1200 scholarship.
Esabella DeFilippo came in second and was awarded $1000, Petr Quinn came in third and received $700, Celia Jones came in fourth and received $500, and Keith Mantell came in fifth with a prize of $300.
Three students, Shelby Bohan, Matthew Medford, and Lina Nassif, tied for 6th place and each received a $100 prize.
The Spellman Oratorical Contest is held annually and is open to all seniors. After writing their speeches on a chosen topic, eight finalists are chosen to compete in front of a panel of judges who score them on content and delivery.
The topic for this year's Spellman contest was "The Art of Darkness: Evil, Pain, and Enlightenment," where students were asked to write a speech exploring the idea that evil and pain in works of art can teach their audiences about various aspects of humanity.
DeFilippo said she initially thought about writing about villains in the stories of her childhood.
"I initially thought about writing about villains and stories. It was challenging because we normally talk about good things and make light of it," DeFilippo said. "I thought immediately of A Series of Unfortunate Events which had a special place in my heart because I read them growing up.
DeFilippo also included the character Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, as she said, "I always thought she was a misinterpreted character."
Blaney wrote about the characters from J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan and William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Blaney said she used to believe she hated public speaking but has since changed her mind.
"When you're saying the speech, pretend you're in an empty room saying it to yourself. No matter if you think you're going too slow, slow down more," Blaney said.
DeFilippo agreed and gave advice to students who might participate in Spellman in the future.
"I actually like public speaking. the hardest thing is remembering to stay engaged with your audience and not get caught up in yourself or your own fears when presenting," DeFilippo said.
Mrs. Kendra Donovan, the English department chair, was impressed with the eight contestants and said it was one of the best groups overall that she has seen compete.
"I thought all the students were expressive in their delivery. I was impressed with how confident and poised they were," Donovan said. "It's one of our most academic events and it really showcases our top students' ability while allowing them to earn money for college."