Students were rendered speechless as six of their classmates delivered speeches at school meeting this past Tuesday. Named after former Choate dean and public speaking and drama teacher E. Stanley Pratt and former head of the Choate History Department H. Jeremy Packard ’55, the Pratt-Packard Declamation Contest is a decades-long tradition. The contest awards monetary prizes to each finalist. Additionally, the winning student has their name engraved on a silver bowl as they are named the Charles Krause Junior Fellow in Public Speaking.
Mr. Ed McCatty is in charge of running the annual Pratt-Packard Declamation Contest. While introducing the speakers, Mr. McCatty noted the impressive number of participants in this year’s contest. Of the initial entries, six finalists were chosen. The finalists, Vincenzo DiNatale ’19, Sabastian Chacon ’19, Edie Conekin-Tooze ’19, Medina Purefoy-Craig ’20, Noah Trudeau ’20, and Kai Joseph ’21 then delivered each of their speeches in front of the entire student body and a panel of judges.
Each speaker brought their unique perspective to the contest. The topics ranged from struggling with personal identity to problems with sexuality stereotypes, and covered students’ personal stories and reflections. But one common thread that all speeches shared was a call for change to the status quo. Roshni Surpur ’20 remarked, “The Pratt-Packard this year was amazing. The speeches discussed a variety of topics, but all [were] indepth and thoughtful. I am grateful that each of the contestants were able to share these personal aspects of their lives with us.”
After the judges carefully evaluated the speeches, first place was awarded to Kai Joseph ’21, second place to Noah Trudeau ’20, third place to Edith Conekin-Tooze ’19, and fourth place to Vincenzo DiNatale ’19. The Pratt-Packard Declamation Contest continues to celebrate the unique talents, perspectives, and experiences of the Choate community.
