Kaylee Gabalis ‘27
During the weeks leading up to November 2nd our very own BHS Public Speaking class held a food drive for Beverly Bootstraps. The drive worked to provide the needed materials for holiday dinners to people who can not afford to buy these supplies on their own. The drive was very successful and generated 500 pounds of usable ingredients so those less fortunate can have a wonderful holiday season. Students went around to classrooms to spread the word and gather donations from fellow peers. I held an interview with student Addison Shepherd who participated in this drive. This is what Addy had to say about the way that the drive was executed and what students could do differently in the future.
Q: Do you think that the drive that you held was successful?
A: I think that the drive was very successful, what we were holding this drive for in the first place is very important and I feel like I was really able to make some great change for our community.
Q: Is there anything you would change about the way this drive was executed?
A: The only thing I would change about this drive is the amount of time that was allotted to donate. I think we might have had more success if the drive went on for longer.
Q: Looking back, is there any other way you think you could have spread the word about the drive?
A: I think it would have been good if we used the morning announcements as well as more speeches to other classes to spread the word better.
Q: Do you think this was a good opportunity? What did you learn from this experience?
A: I think this was a very good opportunity to participate more in the community, I learned to speak more comfortably in front of my peers and what other families were going through.
I was also able to hold an interview with Mrs.Orr, an English teacher who worked to organize this drive. Here is what she had to say about how the drive went down.
Q: Do you think the drive you held was a success?
A: This year’s Public Speaking class is fairly small and there is only one section so it’s hard to compare this year’s drive to some of the drives the class has hosted in the past, but there were a couple students who really used their persuasive skills that we were working on and wrote emails to community members who were able to help. One student asked their brother’s karate studio to help (which resulted in 200 pounds of donations), and another student wrote an email and then called Henry’s Market and was able to collect over $100 worth of donated goods from the store manager. Those are the successes to me: seeing students gain confidence in how they are able to accomplish things on their own because they were proud of themselves. We collected over 500 pounds of baking needs which is fantastic.
Q: Is there anything you would change about the way that this drive was completed?
A: Ideally it would be great if all of the students practiced their skills outside of the assignments that I give them to spread the word. In the past there have been classes that got really into the assignment but this year was harder because Beverly Bootstraps was asking specifically for baking needs so that families would be able to make memories baking with their families. I don’t think this is something I could change, but I think it would have been great if more students who are able to help realized just how helpful they can be with a small gesture.
Q: Is there any way you wish you would have spread the word more?
A: I like to make this assignment more personal so that students should be speaking to students, teachers, and administrators. The whole point is that “power of speech” is a thing and the words that come out of your mouth can influence others.
Q: Do you think you will hold drives similar to this in the future?
A: I do this every semester for the persuasive speech unit for the class and I love to see how the students take the challenge on and see what they do.
Q: What was your biggest takeaway from this experience?
A: This particular year the biggest take away was seeing the two students who were most successful be proud of themselves for reaching outside of their comfort zone. In the past there have been students who were able to persuade their dentist to donate toothbrushes and toothpaste, their middle school teachers to collect donations in their classroom, and others who have persuaded parents to collect donations at their work. It is really great when I am able to see these students realize that they did that. These are skills that, as a teacher, I am trying to teach them, but I’d like to think that I am teaching them more than just skills for a grade.
