On November 14th, the Woodbury Speaking Competition returned to Belmont Hill for its final installment of the fall season. Henry Vettel ‘18, Jacob Whitney ‘17, and Gus Lamb ‘17 each took the stage to deliver their closing speech in front of the school community. As the last speaker of the day, Gus Lamb engaged the audience with his wit, humor, and ingenuity with his speech on turtles, which ultimately awarded him the top prize. While the Belmont Hill community only heard the fruit of their work, the speakers’ presentations served as the culmination of a challenging process that spanned weeks of brainstorming, drafting, and self-reflection.
Gus Lamb, the Fall Woodbury winner, found inspiration for his speech by staying true to himself, a theme he poignantly articulated in his winning piece. “Writing is definitely best when you are extremely honest with yourself, and that honesty can lead to some very personal things being written,” he noted in an exclusive online question-and-answer session.
The Woodbury Speaking Competition presents a unique opportunity for all Upper School students to express themselves. Gus concluded his speech by noting that he “never thought he would speak in front of the entire school, not once but twice.” With the Spring installment of the Woodbury Speaking Competition approaching in February, Gus encouraged the Belmont Hill student body to try writing speech for themselves: “The school needs to hear from as many different voices and perspectives as possible, and I know there’s got to be a bunch out there.”
