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Congratulations to Stella '24 and Astrid '23 on their success at October’s International Independent Schools' Public Speaking Competition (IISPSC) 2022.

Both students competed among 100 other students from independent schools over a four-day international tournament held at Deerfield Academy. Stella & Astrid competed in three categories of speech and debate: Parliamentary Debate, Impromptu Speaking, and After-Dinner Speaking.

Astrid, who participated in a parliamentary debate (where each team consists of two randomly-paired debaters from different schools) shared, “It was a great experience to compete with students from so many different places. It’s amazing that while Stoneleigh-Burnham is a smaller school, we still have this big of a presence in the debate & public speaking world.”

Stella won 1st place in Impromptu Speaking; 3rd place in After-Dinner Speaking; and placed 3rd among all of the speakers at the tournament. Stella's results qualify her for the American Team at the World competition in South Africa in Spring 2023. For Stella, who competed in IISPSC virtually last year, this year’s competition was her first in-person competition. According to Stella, “This year, I was able to meet competitors from across the globe, which was incredible. We also all got to cheer each other on in person, which really made all the difference for me. Just those passing reassurances such as “great job!” or “I loved your speech!” changed the whole air of the tournament and really made me feel like part of the debate & public speaking community for the first time.”

Debate & Public Speaking Coach Jayne Benjulian shared, "I applaud them for their accomplishment as well as the model of friendship, intellectual curiosity and persistence they offer us." Jayne, who is new to SBS this 2022-2023 academic year, has a long and extensive career in the area of writing instruction and public speaking and performance.

Jayne holds a BA in English from Goucher College, a MA in English from Emory University, and an MFA in Poetry from the Warren Wilson Program for Writers. She worked for a number of years as the head speech writer for Apple, writing speeches and coaching executives in speech delivery all over the world. She has also worked as a teacher of writing, rhetoric, speaking, and playwriting. She has an extensive theater background, is a published writer, and currently works as an editor and coach for artists and writers, in part helping writers plan book projects and teaching the writing and performance of poetry and monologue. Jayne brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from the real world to SBS’s debate & Public Speaking Society and our students, as demonstrated by the success of Stella and Astrid, are thriving under her direction.