On Saturday, November 9, 2013, students from Valle Catholic Grade School participated in a Bellarmine Speech Meet at Ascension school in Chesterfield. Pictured are Daniel Kuenzel and Ericka Loida (humorous duet, “Noah” by Bill Cosby), Bryce Palmer (humorous solo, “Fat Albert, Buck Buck” by Bill Cosby), Connor Morris (humorous solo, “Any Junior’s Nightmare” by E.B. Moore), and Mary Roth (humorous solo, “The Devil Made Me Buy this Dress” by Flip Wilson). The speech team is coached by Sheila Roth.
The Bellarmine Speech League, which began in 1945 in St. Louis, provides an opportunity for students in grades 5-8 to develop and improve their public speaking skills by memorizing and performing material in Humorous, Serious, and Duet categories. Students compete in three Speech Meets with teams from other schools during the school year. Ribbons are awarded to participants based upon the total score received from two judges. A Final Meet with all participating schools is held at the end of each school year.