WINNING MIDDLE SCHOOL SPEECHES
Chloe Erwin
J. Graham Brown School
Louisville, Kentucky
7th grade
The Influence
Everywhere around you you hear stories of violence and terrible, terrifying wars. Sicknesses, global warming, and the crashing economy. Threats of nuclear bombs hang like the heavy air just before it storms. A lot of people are saying that the end of the world is coming soon.
However, a lot of people also talk about hope. They talk about the new president, Mr. Barack Obama in the office, and how he will strengthen our country and even our world. They speak of how our technology will improve greatly in the next century. And also human resilience. We continue to move forward to show our willpower and strength as human beings.
I’m 13 years old. Average middle school student, my biggest concerns are not being able to go to my friend’s sleepover, or a big test coming up. I mean, sure, I listen to the news sometimes with my parents, and I’m interested in who’s running our country. But I’m afraid that I’m not the only teenager/kid that doesn’t really pay attention that much to what is going on around them.
In the next ten years or so, I know that major changes will befall this country and world. Whether good or bad, I don’t know. But basically, it is in our hands. We, the kids and teens of the century, are going to have to pull it together and win back our world. I know that the hope that our parents and teachers give us today, will be the very future of the crisis that erupts our world.
If we are all educated right, then we can take what we have learned in our child hood, and apply it to the world. What gives me hope is that when I go to school, I could be looking at the next president, or head of PETA or Sierra Club. As long as the adults in our world now give over what they know to us, and educate us to the utmost, then they will have enough hope and trust that we will improve the standard of the country and world. This gives me hope.
Kelly McDonald
Derryfield School
Manchester, New Hampshire
8th grade
Christopher Reeve once said, “Once you choose hope, anything's possible.”
This statement, considered naïve by some, has become the very slogan for American endurance in a crisis. As a country founded on the respect of providing liberty and freedom for all people, America has survived its oppressors through the power of hope.
From the harrowing beginnings of the revolutionary war, when it seemed every force was pitted against us, to our fortitude in the face of tragedy during 9/11, America has never given up hope.
Yet, it seems, this recession has empowered defeat. From the sordid forecasts produced by politicians on every side of the political spectrum, to the helpless attitudes seizing everyday Americans in typical life, I have seen depression embroiling not only the adults in my life, but my peers as well. As I’ve reflected on these trying times in my life, my own concerns and dreams for the times that lie ahead have been unearthed within me.
First, my greatest dream is that we as Americans create our own innovative ideas to overcome the recession instead of losing hope. It astonishes me just how often people do lose hope, often when the solution to the problem lies within their capable hands. Americans crafted ways to survive during the depression, world wars, and 9/11—we’ve never been overcome by opposing forces. Somehow, though, recessions penetrate our hearts and weaken our spirits; watching those around us succumb to the recession by cutting corners, losing jobs, and other methods of cutting back can be extremely disheartening. I myself have felt the strain of this recession—both my parents and myself must work more diligently for less. For years, my siblings and I had been looking forward to a vacation in Florida, which my parents promised to us last year. It still hasn’t happened, and the way things are going, I don’t think it ever will. My parents are to busy to even bother with the trip—they become very angry when we ask for things, and my siblings and I have still never been on a plane or traveled out of the northern half of our country. We are all beginning to feel the heat of this recession in various ways.
My dream is that this recession will remind us what truly matters most. Deserting hope, perhaps, will be seen as the last thing we should do. Maybe we can forget about trips to Florida and nice clothing and remember that the fact that we have a loving family is what counts. We should also remember, though, that it is in hard times when one’s true character emerges, and we should not lose sight of our family or their emotions and needs during this time. After all, we have all felt the effects of the recession in some way. Children at my school have parents taking second jobs, and most children’s parents grow increasingly irritable by the day. I have noticed that not much focus has been put on fixing the recession among my peers; just wanting to get out is the prevailing endeavor.
I say to that, let us not be concerned. Our great capitalist economy is self mending, and though we all feel disappointment at this time, we all simply must work harder to regain stability in our homes and continue purchasing and investing. Let live by this quote by Maryanne Radanbacher: “Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.” Let us never forget to keep trying, now or ever; this is my dream.
Genesis M.
Gage Middle School
Huntington Park, California
6th grade
Congratulations leaders. You have graduated! Nobody in my family has graduated. My brother is 22 and he hasn’t graduated. My sister might be the first in my family. I know it is hard. Everyday I inspire my sister not to drop out. I congratulate you students who has graduated. You students who hasn’t graduated then other people might say they’re better than you. You don’t want that to happen. Or, do you? Didn’t think so. I recommend you go back to school and graduate. So you can have a better job and be successful.
Leaders you are now leaving a good example for students. you feel impressed. If you don’t graduate your family members will be sad. Your mom buys you everything you want. And not graduating that pulls your mom down. Your mom was going up the stairs and now she is going down. Don’t only make yourself happy, make your family members happy.
Emily Rush
J. Graham Brown School
Louisville, Kentucky
7th grade
As we move up to a higher level of education, we are one step closer to acheiving our dreams. Even though we may not know exactly what we want to do in the future, we can always dream. I have dreams that I hope to achieve one day.
I have always had dreams to help my community in a big way some day. Recently, I realized what I wanted to do. While I was waiting at the front desk at the downtown YMCA, an old homeless lady slowly walked in and approached the desk. She had lots of things on her back.
She waited looking tired and lonely. When the staff member asked her what she needed she said softly, “I need a shower”. The staff member looked at her and handed her papers to sign. Then the staff member said “five dollars.” The woman pulled out her money. She only had about twenty dollars. Then she slowly handed the staff member five dollars. I could tell she was distressed. Then the staff member said “You can only take a shower.” The old woman replied “Yes, Mrs.”
Ever since then it has laid a heavy burden on my heart. We have so much but, we still want more. I admit it is hard to be satisfied when you know there are so many new things we can have. But that day, I decided I want to make it possible for homeless people to be able to always take a shower for free.
I thought if I had to pay my parents five dollars for every shower I take, I would be broke. Then I thought what if some day I could build a building where homeless people could take showers. I know I can’t start this project until I am older but, I can always do things for the homeless. I want to branch out and serve the homeless because I know if I was homeless I would want others to care for me. Now when I look at homeless people, I don’t look down on them, no matter how filthy they are. Homeless or not, people are people, and people should be treated like people.
I hope you too have found what you plan on doing to help our community. I hope after you graduate from high school you will follow your dreams. You should help others, because people have already helped you along the way.
Krishnan Sethumadhavan
Markham Woods Middle School
Lake Mary, Florida
8th grade
In these trying times, people are afraid of losing their jobs, their homes, and their way of life. We hope and pray that things will become better, and luckily for us, they always do. However, in these times of darkness…we all have our fears, but we can also have our hopes.
As a child that lives in the suburbs, my greatest fear is that one day, the entire lifestyle that I am so used to and have come to know will come crashing down around me because of any multitude of reasons: a foreclosure, a job loss, just to name a few. Also, the public services that I depend on, the public school, the fire station, and the hospital are slowly having their budgets cut to a point where their services are no longer what they used to be.
Another fear that I hold is that in my life time, I will only have access to substandard health care, have to put out my own fires, and only be able to obtain a substandard education, instead of the excellent one that I receive now. I fear that I will not be able to go to the college of my choice for want of money and lack of grants and scholarships. I fear that my neighbors, my friends, and my relatives will one day find themselves in a position where they have next to nothing and must rebuild their lives from scratch. This would hurt my chances of succeeding in this life and severely diminish my odds of a decent living. The fact that I may never be able to buy an American-made car or other vehicle makes me feel that I will have missed out on something that every generation before me has experienced. I fear that during my life the polar ice caps will melt and that the resulting global flooding that will happen could destroy my home state of Florida.
Thankfully, in the words of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, “We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.” By this, he means that there will never be a penalty to hope for the future and act towards making it a reality. For me personally, this means that I can hope to obtain a tertiary education which will help, but I must also work towards that goal with such determination that I will never be denied my dreams. I must not only hope that global warming can and will be solved, but must also be an active member in a new greener generation by switching from incandescent light bulbs to CFLs and other ways of improving humanity’s footprint on Earth.
To help prevent the decay of the services that I hold dear, volunteering and giving others hope is one of the most vital services that I can provide to my community. This is because hope is the promise of food that can keep a person going, while hard work is the food that allows them to live. Because of this, hard work and hope are equals in abating the fears of myself and my community in these truly trying times.
Adrian Stewart
Benjamin Tasker Middle School
Bowie, Maryland
7th grade
Hello my name is Adrian and I attend Benjamin Tasker Middle School. I live in Bowie, Maryland and I am 13 years old. So I am going to tell you about how the economic crisis is affecting me and my community.
This crisis is taking a big toll on a lot of people in my community. For example a lot of people are losing their jobs. When that happens it trickles something like dominos because then the income is lower if there is any. So less money will be spent on food. Then goes the money for fun. And when kids don’t have fun to keep them busy or occupied some will get into trouble. Then if they get into serious trouble that will mess their whole record so then they might not get a good job.
But now in this bad crisis we have senior citizens going out trying to get jobs so that they can pay for their bills because their monthly check is not enough. And when they get a job they may have to do work that they should not be doing. By them doing that they might get hurt very badly.
More parents are getting more jobs or working more shifts. By them doing that they are away from their children so they can’t teach their kids what to do or what not to do. When parents can’t bring enough money in their kids might get jobs so then they will not be focused on their school work but on their job. So if they aren’t focused on their work then they get bad grades and with bad grades they will get bad jobs.
But I think if my friends and I get good grades and then good jobs in the government we can do something about this crisis. Also we can try to help our senior citizens. And as children we can try not to stress our parents out even more. And help do things around the house. For example we can clean the kitchen after dinner and before. And clean up other rooms in your home. Or we can just ask our parents are there anything we can do. Then if they say no we can go out and play. Most parents only want you to do two things which are to get good grades and to keep your room clean. But try to help any way you can.
We must keep in our minds a little saying that Barak Obama said a lot on his campaign YES WE CAN.
Hannah Summers
J. Graham Brown
Louisville, Kentucky
7th Grade
A French author by the name of Voltaire once said, "Every man is guilty of all the good he didn't do." This quote speaks the truth of our nation today. We are faced with a crisis, and instead of everyone uniting to solve our problem they complain of their situation. There are many people trying to help us in our time of need, but there are many other people spreading bitterness and resent.
I believe that in our time of crisis, hope is needed to be able to succeed in the end. If we can hope, we can accomplish our goals. Our hope can be found anywhere, anytime. Our hope is forever and unbreakable. When we use our strengths to build onto another’s, we accomplish more than we could ever do individually. Together, with hope, we can always achieve great things, and now is no different. We are stuck in a ditch for the second time, but no one notices that this time there are shallow steps on the walls.
I believe that if our nation unites, we can conquer any problem that comes our way. There are already people out working to fix our economy, but they need help in order to achieve their goal. A sense of faith and a hope to succeed is all we need to win this battle, and I believe America has the will to succeed.
"United we stand, divided we fall" is the quotation we should all live by. Working alone doesn't produce as much as a group does, and the same is true for how we need to work on our economy today. We are stronger as a whole, and we can be most successful together. Our economy will suffer without us, and our generation won't be as strong.
We are all a part of our nation, even if we are not of legal age. We have agreed as part of being American to support our President and take care of our country. Now that our country is in need of help, people seem to have forgotten that part of the way we are supposed to live. Our nation is speaking out, but not taking any action.
I do worry about how our nation will end up if we cannot pull ourselves together enough to save our economy from this vicious cycle. I'm scared that this could affect my family and friends, and I don't want to see them suffer through these hard times. Companies are losing money, and people are losing their jobs. With this being the cycle and everyone spending less money it seems like it would take all of the effort in the world to change it back.
I dream of a time where our generation can grow old, and live happily knowing that all of our future generations are taken care of and provided for. I pray that I will be able to see improvement in the future, if not now. I do hope to have the opportunity to help my nation, and I hope to encourage others to do the same. I want to change our country for the better, so that we can then start helping to improve the rest of the world.
