On Friday, January 17, the Declamation Speaking Contest returned for its 157th year. Set in Ding Music Hall, the competition embodies Peddie itself. The venue provided the perfect stage for students to express their passion and talent, bringing the school together in a shared appreciation for art. The competition challenges contestants to captivate adjudicators – faculty members from the theater department and theater instructors at other schools – through precise presentation and emotional engagement.
Performances of this year’s contestants were deeply powerful. Brooke Truslow ’25, Jingyi Han ’26, Connor Pawliczak ’25, Olivia Lu ’27, Ethan Sbarro ’26, Aisha Caban ’25, River An ’27, Yanelly DeLeon ’25, Rayan Khan ’25 and Benthe Borjesson Liebert ’26 brought powerful, touching works in the finals that kept both the audience and the adjudicators captive throughout the night. Performances included a wide range of subjects, from love and loss to societal injustice and personal struggle.
Performances included an excerpt from “The Barbie Movie” performed by Aisha Caban ’25 that fully represented women’s struggle to break free from society’s clutches, Olivia Lu ’27s fantastic take on humor blended with suspense and fear in a monologue from “What Happens in Neverland Stays in Neverland,” River An ’27’s emotionally loaded act from “Light Shining in Buckinghamshire,”Yanelly DeLeon ’25’s display of strong frustration at work problems in “Spike Heels” and winner Rayan Khan ’25‘s powerful and poignant expression of an excerpt from “The Laramie Project” in which he brought attention to systemic injustices, among others.
They were well-appreciated during the entire show; in every monologue, the students poured their heart and soul into their performance. Indeed, the Declamation Contest remains an impactful tradition for Peddie: congratulations to those who have inspired the community through art – both finalists and semi-finalists alike.
List of Semi-Finalists:
River Ahn
Koko Brown
Aisha Caban
Emily Crehan
Yanelly DeLeon
Jingyi Han
Rayan Khan
Sree Lakkamraju
Benthe Liebert Borjesson
Olivia Lu
Jake Mileski
Alice Nah
Stephanie Oh
Connor Pawliczak
Sawyer Rolontz
Ethan Sbarro
Anjali Sudarshan
Abby Sun
Brooke Truslow
Sophie Wang
Justin Zhang
