First Migrant Education speech tournament

From Article: All celebrated at first Imperial County migrant program speech tournament

About 100 students from around the county came together to demonstrate public speaking skills for the Imperial County Migrant Education Program.

All students from 12 middle and high schools and the judges received medals and trophies for their part in the first speech tournament of its kind for the area.

The Migrant Education Program has been working to get something like it in place for more than a year, said program director Sandra Kofford. Public speaking is an important skill for people to have, and students learning it now have a head start.

“We’re excited,” she said. “It’s just powerful skills that they’re going to get today.”

Eleven-year-old Maria Castro from Bill E. Young Middle School in Calipatria was happy that the many sessions worked out for her group, which left with three students placing.

“We’re so proud of ourselves,” she said. “We worked so hard.”

Denise Solorzano, 11, was speechless after winning the sixth-grade speech competition for the Calipatria middle school, she said.

Coach and teacher Roberto Gonzalez said he was also proud of his team for working so hard to get ready and then going on to win.

“They were really hard workers,” he said.

For county Superintendent Anne Mallory, it was refreshing to see so many people dedicating their Saturdays to this program and to developing their speaking skills, she said.

Everyone was dressed very professionally, and it gave them the experience of being in the real world, she said.

It was the first debate for Team Central Espartanos from Central Union High School, said team member Carlos Andrade. While competitors were nervous, they were prepared.

Similarly senior Sarah Diaz and her group from Imperial High School said they were nervous during their first debate.

However, Diaz said it was a good experience.

For the first round, the group argued that migrant students don’t have an equal education as others and cited legislative bills and studies to prove their point.

“It was kind of hard to fight something you believe,” Diaz said.

She was able to come up with some experiences to prove her point, but a lot of it was preparation.

AT A GLANCE

Debate winners

High school

Southwest High School

Holtville High School

Imperial High School

Middle school

Calexico’s William Moreno Middle School Team B

El Centro Elementary School Wilson Warriors

Calexico’s William Moreno Middle School Team A

Speech winners

Fourth grade

Jacklyn Mejia

Karen Juerta

Fifth grade

Pricilla Leyva

Agustin Burgos

Sixth grade

Denise Solorzano

Maria-Jose Rios

Ashley Torres

Seventh grade

Alberto Arroyo

Claudia Rodriguez

Alexis Estrada

High school

Elina Olmedo

Geneva Guzman

Cesar Barreras

Extemporaneous speech winner

Fourth grade

Karen Juerta

Fifth grade

Pricilla Leyva

Sixth grade

Maria Llamos

Seventh grade

Alexis Estrada

High school

Elina Olmedo