Stand Up

Students have up to 4 minutes to make their audience laugh. Videos include:

  • Harvard Square Tournament 2020
  • Monsignor Haddad Middle School Fall 2019 Invitational Tournament
“I love to coach standup – it’s an event that really helps the students to build confidence!”
Adeline Martin, Instructor
“Impressive to see kids not only write hilarious content, but perform it with great comedic instincts.”
Aaron, Community Judge

Persuasive

Students enter an original persuasive speech on a topic of their choice. 5 minute maximum. Videos include:

  • Harvard Square Tournament 2020
  • Monsignor Haddad Middle School Fall 2019 Invitational Tournament
“One of the best parts of teaching persuasive speech is seeing the variety of topics about which students are passionate. It’s always a joy to help them develop their ability to reason through their arguments and see them grow.”
Jacob Thackston, Instructor

Monologue

Most monologue entries are excerpted from literature, screenplays, theatre, or a selection of monologues made available to Rose Institute students. Some monologues are original, and written by the students themselves. Monologues may be humorous or dramatic. Basic Judging Criteria — (1) Acting, (2) Emotion (3) Use of gestures, (4) Memorization, (5) Timing.

  • Harvard Square Tournament 2020
  • St. Paul’s Choir School
  • Monsignor Haddad Middle School Fall 2019 Invitational Tournament
“Monologue is so fun because of how we get to take other pieces and interpret however we want to, which could be completely different from someone else’s.”
Maegan, Student

Duo Interpretative

Duo Interpretation (Team Interpretive Speech). 5 Minutes. With a partner, students will deliver a humorous or dramatic excerpt from literature, television, or any other published media. Students are not permitted to look at one another, touch one another, or use props. All storytelling must be done with their voices and gestures.

  • Harvard Square Tournament 2020
  • St. Paul’s Choir School
  • Monsignor Haddad Middle School Fall 2019 Invitational Tournament
“In preparing a duo, I learned how to work productively with a partner, while simultaneously falling over giggling.”
Anna, Student

Novice Panel Debate

  • WMS vs. St. Bernadette (MHMSF19)
“Panel Debate has taught me how to quickly craft a strong argument, a skill that has significantly improved the quality of my writing and enabled me to easily convince others of my point.”
Alex, Student
“Debate is exciting because the topics are very interesting and it is really fun seeing different sides to a debate. For example, I often like to be negative, but when I am affirmative, I learn a lot and open my eyes to see both sides of the question.”
Renee, Student