Learning a speech is not easy. Giving a full speech in a second language is even harder. In the annual FUHSD speech contest, English Language Development students challenge themselves to do just that, spending weeks preparing in advance. This year, the ELD Speech Contest will happen on April 30 at Fremont High School. Before then, each ELD student will craft their own speech to present at the contest in front of a panel of student and teacher judges. Ultimately, the contest is the culmination and application of everything the students have learned this past year in their ELD classes.
The ELD program assists students learning English as a second language. Within these classes, the key to developing English skills for many students is continual practice.
“Oftentimes, we’re just talking with each other during class,” said sophomore Sichang Liu, a former ELD speech contest finalist. “I think ELD is mostly practicing speaking a lot, so that’s how I learned to improve my English.”
Every year, all ELD students in FUHSD participate in the ELD speech contest. The competition is an opportunity for students to not only showcase the language growth they have achieved in the past year but also practice their oral language skills.
“This contest is the high point of the year for the kids,” ELD teacher Julie Morelos said. “They get to see that they’re so capable. They might come in thinking, ‘There’s no way I could present a memorized speech in front of people in English.’ Then they realize, ‘Oh my gosh, I can do this!’ Instilling in them that belief and confidence is the biggest reward for me.”
That confidence to speak well comes with lots of practice and preparation. As the only ELD teacher at Lynbrook this year, Morelos prepares her students for the contest six weeks in advance. The end goal is to have each student be able to present a roughly five-minute, fully-memorized speech in English.
In the first phase of preparation, students brainstorm and come up with an original topic. Genetically modified foods, power structures and relationships are just some of the ideas explored during previous contests.
“What matters is that they choose something that they’re interested in and something that they genuinely care about,” Morelos said. “They truly have to dig deep and think, ‘What do I want to persuade someone to do? What am I passionate about teaching others?’”
Next comes the outline phase. Students conduct detailed research on their topic before writing the first draft of their speech. For many students, research is not just about gaining a basic understanding of their topic — it is about becoming an expert, which can be challenging.
“The hardest part for me is researching online,” freshman and ELD 2 student Yiting Wang said. “In my previous school in my home country, we didn’t spend much time doing research or writing about our own topic. This was really new to me, so I redid my research many times.”
After two weeks of drafting speeches, each speech is polished as students exchange advice and encourage each other. In the last two weeks leading up to competition day, students diligently practice their speeches and rinse and repeat until confident in their delivery. Overcoming nerves is often the greatest challenge during this last stretch.
“It felt really straightforward when I was practicing my speech alone, but in front of classmates and the teacher, I just forgot everything,” Wang said. “It gets easier as you practice more and more.”
Despite the hurdles that they have to overcome, the students lift one another up every step of the way. To them, it’s about more than just perfecting their own speech; it’s about learning and growing together. Most importantly, it’s about building relationships with one another.
“Seeing the students help each other this year was beautiful,” Morelos said. “During these six weeks, they get to know each other so well, and they support each other tremendously. By the time they get to the contest at Fremont High School, they feel so confident. They come together as a team, and it makes me so happy to witness this each year.”
Ultimately, everything that the students do prepares them for the contest. On speech day, ELD students from across the district compete in two primary rounds, with student and teacher judges scoring them each round. Scores from both rounds are tallied, and the highest-scoring students move on to the third and final round.
“It’s the first time we’ve ever had a speech contest using only our second language, so you’re bound to be nervous,” said senior Evan Gai, a former ELD speech contest finalist. “The moment you get in the room and start to talk, you’ll find that you forgot something or maybe pronounced something wrong, but you realize that’s just normal. We will be nervous, but we know we are going to do our best.”
Despite the competitive aspect, students cheer each other on until the very end. At the end of the day, positivity and cheers erupt during the evening award ceremony as students celebrate each other’s achievements.
“During the contest, the energy in the room is really coming from a supportive place of championing each other,” Lynbrook ELD coordinator Tania Yang said. “It’s not like a cutthroat kind of competition, but really more like students are happy for each other, and the teachers are so supportive.”
In the last couple of days leading up to the contest, students give everything they have to the preparation process. This journey helps them build confidence, and they realize that they are more than capable.
“When preparing for your speech, the most important thing is having confidence,” Liu said. “Trust yourself. You got it because you’ve been preparing for more than three to four weeks.”
