Outside of conventional opportunities such as chapel speeches, theater performances or talking in a classroom, Peddie provides other methods for students to hone their public speaking and delivery skills. One is the annual Reeves Speaking Contest, which lets students write and refine a speech about a topic of their choice to deliver in front of an audience and judges. This year’s contest took place in early April and featured twelve finalists: Justin Zhang ’28, Charles White ’26, Ayaan Nagarkatti ’27, Diya Kondapalli ’28, Neil Kathuria ’26, Ananya Hari ’25, Lue Fang ’25, Hannah Fahmy ’27, Chloe Cheng ’27, Bryan Cheng ’26, Maggie Blakely ’25 and Olive Ahn ’27.

An aspect of this Reeves Contest to celebrate is its variety. These speeches, given by students of all four grades, covered a wide range of topics — some, like Zhang ’28’s passionate guide to procrastination and Ahn ’27’s heartfelt appreciation for the humor behind excrement, had the audience bursting out in cheer and laughter, while others, like Fahmy ’27’s sincere plea towards the commentary regarding her mixed racial identity and Cheng ’27’s vulnerable anecdote about how her grandparents’ dementia made her a stranger to them, solicited solemn appreciation and emotion. Although they were different in not only specific topics but also in their nature, the speeches all had something in common — a lesson the speaker learned, or one the audience can take away. Kondapalli ’28, for instance, ended with genuine advice based on her first year at Peddie to prioritize mental wellbeing. Messages like these only made the speeches more “engaging and meaningful,” said Sarah Drake ’25. 

After the judges came to a final decision, the night ended with a presentation of awards — Kathuria ’26, as Mr. Cirnigliaro put it, “walked away triumphant” as the first place winner of this year’s Reeves Speaking Contest. Fahmy ’27 placed second, Kondapalli ’28 third, while Cheng ’27 and Hari ’25 received honorable mentions. Even though the Reeves Speaking Contest, as the name suggests, is a contest where speakers are ranked and assessed, the audience was able to celebrate all speakers’ impressive dedication to preparation and performance.