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School Newsletter: 9/6/2022

From Imitator to Artist

The Classical method of education teaches through imitation. Students imitate models of things that are true, things that are good, things that are beautiful, and when they come to thoroughly understand the models they are imitating, then they learn the art of creating such things for themselves.

Poetry is using words to create pictures and music. The vivid language and figures of speech within a poem bring images to the mind’s eye. The regular, or irregular, meter of the verses, the repetition of rhyme and refrain, the mellifluous use of resonant vowels, or jangling use of clashing consonants play music for the ear. The condensed, layered, and symbolic language of poetry makes it particularly helpful for students to study in order to improve their own writing, whether in poetry or prose. Through saying poetry allowed, a student’s ear becomes attuned to the rhythms of our language.

Marcus Tullius Cicero, the famed Roman orator, said that “memory is the treasury and guardian of all things.” In his five canons on rhetoric (invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery), he places memory fourth among the necessary skills to be learned and delivery fifth:

Through memorizing and delivering time-tested poetry, students develop an ear for creative invention of image, excellent arrangement of ideas, and superior style of sentences.

Speech Meet Details

Paideia will be layering a Speech Meet activity into our regular classes in the fall. Speech Meet is required for all students in 1st-12th grade. (Kindergarteners will wait till their 1st grade year to participate.)

ELEMENTARY (Grades 1-6). Students will memorize a poem chosen from the list below (approximately 4+ lines for 1st grade, approximately 8+ lines for 2nd/3rd grade, and approximately 12+ lines for 4th-6th grade). They will recite the poem in front of their class to their teacher and the Head of School on Speech Meet Day (during the last week of October). Students will receive a ribbon for their accomplishment, and students with outstanding recitations will receive a ribbon of excellence.

SECONDARY (Grades 7-12). Students will choose a category of recitation to compete in. They will choose an approved recitation in that category to recite before a panel of judges on Speech Meet Day (during the last week of October). Students will receive a ribbon for their accomplishment, and winners of each category will receive ribbons of excellence and recite the winning pieces at Assembly.

Categories for Logic school: 7th – 9th

· Sonnet, Villanelle, OR Poem of 20+ lines

· Historical Speech OR Literary Excerpt (1-2 minutes)

· Dramatic Monologue (1-2 minutes)

· Duet Acting (3-4 minutes) – 2 people

Categories for Rhetoric school: 10th – 12th

· Poem of 30+ lines

· Historical Speech OR Literary Excerpt (2-3 minutes)

· Dramatic Monologue (2-3 minutes)

· Duet Acting (4-6 minutes) – 2 people

Pick Your Piece

Click on the button to find the list of elementary poems to pick from and list of secondary poems and suggestions for other secondary categories. We will also have a few printed copies of this list in a binders at school if you want to look at a paper copy.

Speech Meet Selections

Once you’ve made a selection, here’s how to sign up:

Elementary: Write the name of the selected poem on your HAS (Homework Assignment Sheet) either this week or next.

Secondary: Click the button below and fill out the Google Form with your sign-up information.

Secondary Speech Meet Sign-Up

Frequently Asked Questions

1. My first grader is a prodigy and would like to memorize one of the 10th grade poems. Is that okay?

No. We are well aware that younger students are able to memorize copious amounts of poetry (after all, our Kindergarten teacher teaches “Casey at the Bat” to the Kindergartners every spring). However, since our younger students are reciting an individual piece for the first time at school and focusing on speaking it well, we would like them to stay with the shorter category of pieces. The longer pieces also typically deal with more difficult themes and are more difficult to deliver well.

If your student really wants a challenge, the rule is that he or she may move up a maximum of one category level when picking a piece. For example, first graders wanting a challenge could pick from the 2nd/3rd grader pieces, or 4th-6th graders could pick from the 7th-9th grader pieces.

2. My student’s classmate picked the same poem. Is it okay for two kids to do the same poem?

Yes. Duplicate poems within the classroom are fine. This will happen as a matter of course since we are allowing the kids to pick poems instead of assigning the poems.

3. My student wants to recite a poem he wrote himself. Is this okay?

No. While original work can be excellent, we are sticking with more classic works for speech meet.

4. My student wants to recite a poem he found on the internet that’s not on the list. Is this okay?

No. For ease of coordination, we are only using the poems on the list this year.

5. Can my student just recite an old piece he already has memorized?

No. Students should stretch themselves by memorizing something new for Speech Meet.

6. My child is really nervous about this. Can he or she opt out?

No. This is part of the education your child is receiving at Paideia, not an optional activity. But one thing to note about classical education is that students are already standing to speak in front of their classroom all the time. In first grade, a student will pop up from his chair when called upon by the teacher and narrate back the story of the Pilgrims to the class or explain the differences between deciduous and evergreen forests. The main difference with Speech Meet is that the student will physically stand in the front of class to recite to an audience of his classmates. By starting Speech Meet in 1st grade, we are helping students to normalize standing in front of the class. The teacher is also there to support your child—there will be a practice day in class the week before Speech Meet so students can become more comfortable with reciting.

School Calendar: This Week

Tuesday, 9/6 - First Day of School!

Wednesday, 9/7, 8:00-8:30am - Elementary Parent Orientation #1 at NEW LIFE

Thursday, 9/8, 11:40am-12:20pm - House “Sorting” for New Secondary Students & House Meetings at CPFC

Friday, 9/9, 8:00-8:30am - Friday Assembly at NEW LIFE - Parents are invited to attend!

Friday, 9/9, 8:30-9:00am - Elementary Parent Orientation #2 at NEW LIFE

School Calendar: Next Week

Wednesday, 9/14, 12:40-2:30pm - Elementary Play Auditions (THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE) at NEW LIFE. Bring filled out theater flyer with parent signature.

Friday, 9/16, 8:00-8:40am - Friday Assembly at NEW LIFE - Parents are invited to attend!

Friday, 9/16, 8:40-9:10am - Gala Fundraiser Planning Meeting

Friday, 9/16 - Speech Meet Selections DUE. Write on HAS for elementary. Sign up on Google Form for secondary.