by Cori Hilsgen
news@thenewsleaders.com
Six students from St. Joseph Catholic School participated on Feb. 11 in the St. Cloud Morning Optimist Kids Speak Out speech event at the Great River Regional Library, St. Cloud.
These students included sixth-graders Saima Velline, Catherine Colberg, Cecelia Weldon, and fifth-graders Scott Stephens, James Hanauska and Henry Dullinger.
Fifth-and sixth-grade students are invited to this event by the local Optimist clubs. The topic is chosen by the teachers in each classroom and each student prepares a speech no longer than two or three minutes.
Each grade individually selects the three students from their grade who they think are the best speakers. These students then present their speeches to parents and friends and judges then select first-, second- and third- place winners from each grade level. All students who present are given either a gold, silver or bronze medal for their efforts.
St. Joseph Catholic School fifth-grade teacher Tess Koltes said she requires students to write several persuasive papers in her writing class so the students are prepared for junior high school.
She uses what is called the opinion, reason, explanation, counter-argument, restate opinion (OREO+) method to model persuasive writing.
The students needed to select a virtue from a list of virtues that Koltes provided. Stephens chose honesty, Velline chose caring, Weldon chose compassion, Colberg chose friendliness, Hanauska chose social justice and Dullinger chose responsibility as their virtues.
Students were then required to have a quote from a famous person and three reasons why the virtue was important. These reasons might include things such as health benefits, personal growth and improving social relationships.
Students also needed to present a counter-argument for things they thought someone might disagree with them about.
Koltes said an example would be where some might say kindness is more important than respect. However, if a person has respect for someone they will generally be kinder to that person.
In the end, students restated their opinion.
“One revision lesson learned was to not use the word ‘you’ in formal writing,” Koltes said.
Students shared comments about the event.
“It was a good experience and most importantly, fun,” Hanauska said.
“It was a fun writing project,” Colberg said. “However, it became super fun when we gave our speeches. It was interesting to hear others and a good experience to say our own. It made me want to join speech.”
“It was awesome, fun and educational,” Stephens said.
“It was a cool way to learn more about the Optimist Club,” Velline said.
Colberg’s father, who is an associate professor of Theology at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict, said he found it interesting the St. Joseph Catholic School students combined classical virtues with their present-day understandings of virtue.
“A virtue is a good habit that equips a person to thrive in the world, but perhaps more importantly, the virtuous life looks to the way it impacts and transforms the world around the individual person,” Colberg said. “I heard them quote sources as diverse as Aristotle and Dr. Suess. What impressed me most was these children did not think about how virtues lead to their own wealth or personal success. Instead, they thought deeply about how virtues can change the world, and from the perspective of a Catholic school, make it possible to bring about the Kingdom of God.”
The St. Cloud Morning Optimist Club meets weekly on Wednesday mornings at the Capitol One building at 30 Seventh Ave. S. in St. Cloud.
For additional information about the Optimist Club, visit the stcloudoptimists.org website.
contributed photo
St. Joseph Catholic School sixth-graders (left to right) Saima Velline, Catherine Colberg, Cecelia Weldon and fifth-graders Scott Stephens, James Hanauska and Henry Dullinger participated in the St. Cloud Morning Optimist “Kids Speak Out” speech event held Feb. 11 at the Great River Regional Library in St. Cloud.
