2026 Grand sTAnds: Ninth Graders Make Their Point

Nine members of the Class of 2029 displayed equal parts creativity and courage as they shared their stories with peers during the ninth annual Grand sTAnds public speaking event held May 4 in the CFA’s Hale Theater. 

Held each spring, Grand sTAnds involves all members of the ninth grade class declaring what they stand for via public presentations. Students make these presentations, roughly three minutes in length and between 400 and 600 words, in their respective English classes. Each class then selects a representative to present before the entire ninth grade. This year’s Grand sTAnds finalists were: Avery Foley, Reese Haskell, Olivia Collum, Wells Hanna, Davens Lazarre, Libby Grattan, Vanessa Horne, Georgia Leary, and Isobel Troupe. 

In “Managing Measuring,” Foley described her anxiety as an elementary school student in a new setting before sharing how a beloved teacher’s suggestion to use a virtual tape measure — in actuality a breathing exercise utilizing her hands — helped her to face her fears. 

“Today I am able to manage my anxiety much better,” said Foley, who urged listeners to try any tool in their virtual toolbox that works for them. 

In “The Garden,” Collum shared her initial struggles with learning differences and how years of persistence — in the form of hard work, extra help, tutors, and self-confidence — led to success in the classroom. She compared that persistence to a patient yet attentive gardener who knows that, in the end, the results will come. 

“My garden took more time than others to see progress,” she said. 

In “Counterparts,” Haskell detailed for her audience how, as she got older, she grew to appreciate having a twin brother who truly understood her. And, while eschewing notions that twins can somehow read each other’s minds, she did attest to a special bond with a sibling just two minutes younger than she. 

“I can honestly say that my twin is the peanut butter to my jelly and the salt to my pepper,” Haskell said. 

In “Diversifying Your Circle,” Hanna discussed how her family’s decision to open their home to at-risk youth in the Baltimore area (where her father worked in mentoring programs) allowed her to learn stories from a number of different worlds and to widen her perspective for the better. 

“Every person is more than what they’ve been given,” Hanna said. 

In “New Things,” Lazarre chronicled the ups and downs of trying a new sport, wrestling, and how he worked hard to follow his coach’s rule “to get one percent better every day.” While he acknowledged there were doubts at first, Lazarre ended up with several memorable victories as well as lessons on discipline and perseverance. 

“Trying new things will seem difficult,” Lazarre told his peers, “but it will also pay off.” 

In “Dandelions,” Grattan recalled how much she loved the fields of dandelions in the yard of her family’s old house and how those dandelion seeds floated in every direction. She then used that image as a metaphor for her three sisters, two of whom are quite older than she, and how she learned to deal with her older sisters’ departures for college. In the end, Grattan told the crowd, she grew to understand the beauty in change. 

“Every bump in the road is just a gust of wind pushing you to where you’re meant to bloom,” she said. 

In “Finding Myself Again,” Horne chronicled how at one point an authentic love of gymnastics became marred by a distracting need for perfectionism, nagging injuries, and emotional stress. That changed, she said, when she talked to a supportive coach who encouraged her to take the time needed to focus on herself and not her sport. 

“When we really think about it, how much time do we spend on ourselves?” asked Horne, who said she still loves gymnastics but now keeps it in the proper perspective. 

In “Role Models,” Leary expressed gratitude for a number of role models in her life but singled out her parents for particular praise. Her father, she said, urges her to “trust the process” and offers a daily example of that advice in his own life. And her mother overcame illness while never letting that illness distract her from living her life or being there for the people she loves. 

“Her strength is something I want to take with me,” Horne said. 

In “Fortune Cookies,” Troupe shared how her middle school anxiety was stopped in its tracks one day at the school lunch table with the message on a simple fortune cookie: “If you want people to like you, like yourself first.” Since that moment, she said, she has become more intentional and focused on the things that truly make her happy — things like her family, her local church, and her art. Troupe, the last speaker of the event, urged her listeners to do the same. 

“The universe woke me up and taught me that at the end of the day, you are promised no one but yourself,” said Troupe. 

Upper School English Faculty Adam Kuhlmann — speaking on behalf of a team of ninth grade English teachers which also includes Emma Staffaroni, Abigail Offei-Addo, Luke Tobin, and Bo Cramer — congratulated the day’s speakers as well as the entire ninth grade class. He called the Grand sTAnds event timely and important in a world where, thanks to AI and other modern-world factors, it’s easier than ever to accept the illusion of an external “right answer” without thinking through the actual question. 

“Figuring out what you believe is hard,” said Kuhlmann. 

Grand sTAnds represents the ninth grade component of Thayer’s commitment to leadership communication and public speaking across all grade levels. The sequenced array of curricular opportunities, which begins in the Middle School, not only develops effective public presentation skills but also highlights the art of storytelling, the value of connecting with multiple audiences, and the importance of articulating ideas in impactful ways.