SEARCH Public Speaking
Workshops Coming
Fifth and sixth graders in the Huntington School District's SEARCH program will participate in specialized public speaking workshops during March and April.
The workshops will be led by Heather Thorgersen, who is currently working with district first graders on their public speaking skills. Those sessions are being funded by a Huntington Foundation Star grant.
The fifth and sixth grade workshops will feature the reinforcement of existing student public speaking skills, as well as an introduction of some new techniques and strategies.
The sixth grade "Express Yourself" workshops will be tied into an ongoing forensic science unit. Fifth graders will use the "Speaking Up" workshops to sharpen their presentation of mock trial cases during Trial Day this spring.
"The purpose and focus of these workshops is to make the students more comfortable when they have to get up and speak in front of their classmates as themselves and not as actors," said Maryann Daly, SEARCH program chairperson-teacher.
"Some of the children who have no problem speaking need to learn how to focus on the topic and need to be reeled in at times because they are all over the place, more conscious of themselves than of their audience," Mrs. Daly said.