Middle School Declamation Celebration Proves an Inspiring Success

Fifteen Middle School students delivered powerful oratorical performances March 4 as part of Thayer’s 40th annual Declamation Celebration. 

Held in the CFA’s Hale Theater, the Middle School tradition once again featured a wide variety of recitation topics chosen by students. Declamations included a spirited and creative response to bullying, an impassioned championing of biodiversity, a passage from Shakespeare, a handful of thought-provoking TED Talks, several commencement addresses, and a number of poems, among others. The only common threads running through the roughly three-to-five minute memorized presentations were the obvious preparation, the deft rhetorical skill, and the moving authenticity of the declaimers. 

Gus Archabal ’32 selected Andrea Gibson’s spoken word poem “Letter to a Playground Bully From Andrea (age 8)” and channeled the protagonist’s confidence and strong sense of self. 

“And my mother says it is totally fine if I blow off steam as long as I speak in an octave my kindness can still reach,” said Archabal as the poem’s main character confronts his would-be bully. 

Rylynn Burke ’32 chose “Wear Sunscreen,” — a hypothetical commencement speech written by former Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich — for her declamation. The 1997 column offers the very practical advice of the title while adding a few more suggestions as to how to approach life. 

“Do one thing every day that scares you,” Burke told her audience. 

Barack Obama’s 2005 Memorial Day address at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery was the declamation selection of Xavier Ardayfio ’30, who ably communicated the then senator’s message of respect and appreciation for the nation’s veterans. 

“It is life that we honor — lives of courage, lives of sacrifice, and the ultimate measure of selflessness: lives that were given up to save others,” said Ardayfio.  

Other declamations included an excerpt from Midsummer Night’s Dream recited by Emma Black ’31, an excerpt from RFK’s 1968 remarks to the Cleveland City Club declaimed by Claire Walsh ’31, Sarah Kay’s poem “Hands” recited by Grace Kinder ’32, and Mark Rober’s 2023 commencement address at MIT declaimed by Antonio Lazzari ’30. Atticus Kaufman ’31 shared “The Cremation of Sam McGee,” a poem written by the “Bard of the Yukon,” English-born Canadian writer Robert W. Service. 

Middle School English Department Head Brian Cibelli thanked everyone — especially the declaimers themselves and their supportive classmates — for their hard work and enthusiasm, a message echoed by Middle School Director Galen Hamann P ’31. 

“We all could use more inspiration,” Hamann said. 

The following are the 2026 Declamation Celebration’s 15 finalists and the pieces that they chose to present:

AJ Clifford ’33: An excerpt from Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Gus Archabal ’32: “Letter to a Playground Bully From Andrea (age 8)” by Andrea Gibson 

Audrey Bean ’31: An excerpt from Jane Goodall’s Statement in Defense of the Endangered Species Act 

Emma Black ’31: An excerpt from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

Rylynn Burke ’32: An excerpt from “Wear Sunscreen” by Mary Schmich 

Jane Wu ’30: An excerpt from Hoan My Khuong’s TED Talk “When Is ‘Enough’ Really Enough?” 

Sarah Hirsch ’33: An excerpt from Taylor Swift’s 2022 commencement address at NYU

Xavier Ardayfio ’30: An excerpt from Barack Obama’s 2025 Memorial Day address at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery 

Caroline Fish ’30: An excerpt from “This Little Light of Yours” by Elizabeth Gilbert 

Atticus Kaufman ’31: “The Cremation of Sam McGee” by Robert W. Service 

Claire Walsh ’31: An excerpt from Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 remarks at the Cleveland City Club

Antonio Lazzari ’30: An excerpt from Mark Rober’s 2023 commencement address at MIT 

Grace Kinder ’32: “Hands” by Sarah Kay 

Alex Dajie ’31: An excerpt from Karl Paulnack’s 2003 welcome address at Boston University 

Ekaksha Joga ’31: An excerpt from Angus Hervey’s TED Talk “Is This the Time of Monsters — or Miracles?”