LAPS sixth grader Gloria Marksteiner representing Mountain Elementary School delivers her speech at the Elementary Speech Showcase at SALA Event Center. Photo Courtesy LAPS

LAPS elementary school students and staff at this year’s Elementary Speech Showcase, which was hosted by SALA Events Center. Photo Courtesy LAPS

LAPS NEWS RELEASE

Fifteen students representing all five elementary schools recently participated in the 2023 Elementary Speech Showcase. This year’s event  was held at the SALA Events Center. Sherri Bublitz, Los Alamos Middle School Hawktalkers Speech and Debate coach, was the Master of Ceremonies. Hawktalkers Erin Brodnax and Seb Koglin, and Los Alamos High School Hilltalkers Emma Frost and Tevita Funaki, helped with the program. 

This is only the 3rd year for the Elementary Speech Showcase featuring the top three speeches  from each school following each individual school’s speech contest. The district has hosted District Speech Contest for more than 20 years. 

This year’s participants and their speeches include: 

Aspen Elementary School 

Millis Bonser, 5th grade, Oh, the Places You’ll Go, Dr. Seuss 
Leann Harwell, 5th grade, Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss 
Gianna Rolfe, 6th grade, William Shakespeare’s Star Wars, Ian Doescher 

Barranca Mesa Elementary School 

Alexander Justus, 6th grade, Wimpy Big: Big Shot, Beginning Monologue, Jeff Kinney 
Naomi Miller, 6th grade, The Back of the Keeper of the Lost Cities, Series, Simon and Schuster
Alexander Sandborgh, 6th grade, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Robert Browning 

Chamisa Elementary School 

Mae Willard, 6th grade, Stanford Commencement Speech, Steve Jobs 
Jetta Parsons, 6th grade, The Sorting Hat’s New Song, an excerpt from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling 
Sadie Carpenter, 6th grade, Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs retold by Mo Williams

Mountain Elementary School 

Alice Chen, 4th grade, Space Exploration, Britannica Kids 
Evelyn Fobes, 4th grade, On the Pulse of Morning, Maya Angelou 
Gloria Marksteiner, 6th grade, How Do You Silence Your Phone?, Addison Steffer 

Piñon Elementary School 

Sophia Jones, 6th grade, Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon, Patty Lovell
Sam Mecham, 6th grade, Tikki Tikki Tembo, Arlene Mosel 
Sarah Sanders, 5th grade, Miss Spider’s Tea Party, David Kirk 

Speech Contest coordinators at each school site include Alisa Rolfe, Aspen Elementary; Pam  Miller, Barranca Mesa Elementary; Taylor Pomeroy, Chamisa Elementary; Erin Cook, Mountain  Elementary; and Bonnie James, Piñon Elementary.