The Lower School Forensics Team won first place at the Robert S. Sergeant Independent School Forensics competition this year.

The competition, hosted this year by Norfolk Collegiate, is a major forum for students interested in gaining experience in expressive public speaking, with four different categories for competitors: prose (reading a work of prose fiction in an expressive style); poetry (reading a poem in an expressive or dramatic style); storytelling (giving a dramatic presentation of a story from memory and with gestures/movement to provide excitement); and oratory (researching, writing, and delivering a persuasive speech on a topic of the student’s choice).

Norfolk Academy’s team, like others at schools across the region, trains for months to prepare for the competition. Norfolk Collegiate won second place overall; Cape Henry Collegiate placed third. Norfolk Academy will host the competition in April 2020.

The medalists in the categories were as follows:
 
Anna Barton (6th grade) - 1st place Girls Prose
David Salter (6th grade) - 1st place Boys Storytelling
Natalie Martin (6th grade)  - 2nd place Girls Oratory
Chance Stuart (6th grade) - 2nd Place Boys Oratory
Lily Mason-Breit (4th grade) - 2nd place Girls Prose
Zachary Armentrout (6th grade) - 3rd place Boys Poetry
 
Teachers-coaches worked closely with students to prepare for the competition. The coaches for this year’s team were as follows:  Kathy Lonergan (4th grade teacher); Jackie Diamonstein (1st Grade teacher); Jennifer Walker (5th grade teacher); Alice Pleming (4th grade teacher); Marianne Tembe (resource teacher); Sarah Smythe (Associate Director of Admissions); Susan Duquette (Assistant Director of the Lower School and coordinator of the Forensics Team).

Congratulations, Bulldogs, on your public speaking prowess!