La Lumiere School students have been entertained over the years by stories of notable alumni such as such as Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.; President Clinton speech writer, Tom Rosshirt; and comedian Jim Gaffigan who are well known for their oratory talents. These alumni continue to serve as sources of inspiration for La Lu students today, especially as they prepared to showcase their communication skills during the School’s annual Poetry & Speech Contest which was held on Wednesday, Nov. 11 in Marsch Gymnasium.
All underclassman were required to participate in the contest, and based on performances during preliminary competitions, 10 students were invited to compete as finalists in the poetry division and four were chosen to compete in the speech division. The contestants presented in front of their classmates and a panel of judges including: Diane Krieger Spivak, award-winning writer, journalist, and author; Dr. Scott Simerlein, chiropractor, cartoonist, professor, and reigning La Porte County Poet Laureate; and Jake Webster, sculptor, mixed media artist, educator, and spoken word performer.
The poetry division contest was held in compliance with guidelines established by the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Ming Washington, a junior from Michigan City, Indiana, was this year’s poetry winner reciting “to the notebook kid” by Eve L. Ewing and “Dancers Exercising” by Amy Clampitt. Rowena Quinn, a junior from La Porte, Indiana, won the speech division for the delivery of her original speech entitled, Individualism vs Isolationism.
About La Lumiere School
La Lumiere School is a premier college preparatory boarding and day school located on a spectacular 190-acre campus 25 miles west of South Bend, Indiana; eight miles from La Porte, Indiana; seven miles from New Buffalo, Michigan; and about an hour southeast of Chicago. The School holds students to rigorous academic standards while focusing on each student’s full development of Character, Scholarship, and Faith. La Lumiere prepares students to attend some of the best colleges in the country, including: Stanford University, Northwestern University, Rhode Island School of Design, University of Notre Dame, Wake Forest University, Middlebury College, Georgetown University, Cornell University, Colgate University, University of Michigan, and the University of Chicago. La Lumiere School is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA). Learn more about La Lumiere School at lalumiere.org.