ISD Students Chosen to Speak in Washington, D.C.

Four students from Bridger Middle School were selected to speak at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. this spring. Congratulations to Emily Binnicker, Jude McGraw, Lillian Schraml and Noah Smith chosen by Bridger Middle School based on their short speeches on the theme “This I Believe.”

The sixth-grade students’ speeches were written in conjunction with Ford’s Theatre National Oratory Fellows Program. As part of the program, 730 students worked on short speeches, and 50 of those students were selected to speak in early February. The school chose four students to move on to the event held May 5-9 in Washington, D.C.

Jeff Williams, principal of Bridger Middle School says, “The National Oratory Fellows has become an essential part of teaching and learning at Bridger. Students have demonstrated greater leadership qualities, a stronger sense of ownership over their learning and are significantly more articulate in sharing their understanding and knowledge of a multitude of issues impacting their lives.”

Ford’s Theatre National Oratory Fellows Program encourages teachers to make public speaking a daily routine in the classroom for students in grades 5-8. In the program, teachers develop a powerful voice to teach public speaking and speech writing in their own classrooms.