For its inaugural oratory competition, Irving ISD invited students in third through eighth grades to write and recite a meaningful experience in their life that answers the question, “How can we rise to make our community a better place?”
Although public speaking is frightening for most, Irving ISD students took on the challenge and did incredibly well. Zeshan Khan, PreK-12 Social Studies Coordinator for the district, coordinated the competition and was extremely pleased with the results.
“The last couple of years have been challenging, but we know that we are strong, resilient, and unique in our approaches to handling obstacles that come our way,” says Khan. “For the oratory contest, we looked for short, powerful stories that demonstrated the student’s resilience in life.”
Congratulations to the two winners of the Superintendent Star, the contest’s top award:
- Anthony Barrios, 7th grader at de Zavala Middle School – Three Ways to Improve My Community
- Alex Stringer, 8th grader at Lamar Middle School – Helping Others
Other winners are as follows:
- Angel Olea, 5th grader at Lively Elementary School – Suicide Awareness
- Kayleen Escobedo, 5th grader at Good Elementary School – The Best Solution is to Remove Land Pollution
- Drake Cortez, 7th grader at Crockett Middle School – Being an Entrepreneur
- Mariana Bonilla, 8th grader at Crockett Middle School – What Baking Can Do
