"Gettysburg Address" puts The Greenwood School and students in the spotlight
Winter 2015
The 6-12 grade school enrolls about 50 boys, who struggle with learning challenges, such as dyslexia or related language-based learning difficulties. Yet all must eventually take the stage in an annual competition in front of some 400 peers, parents, teachers, administrators, and community members.
This year, the spotlight shined even brighter on the small Putney, Vermont, school when it was featured in the PBS documentary “The Address” produced by Ken Burns, which commemorated the 150-year anniversary of Lincoln’s poignant, two-minute speech during the Civil War. Miller says the school opened its doors to film crews who shot about 300 hours of video over a year. “It took a lot of courage for us to do that. The filming showed the school’s triumphs and warts at the same time.”
That’s the kind of courage Greenwood teachers seek to instill in students as they learn to master the address with their support. Miller introduces the project in November each year. Then, learning the speech is fully integrated into the school’s curriculum and embedded into individual classes. Teachers and other seasoned students act as mentors. A period is reserved just for tutoring during which the teacher takes the speech apart. Teachers sometimes take away homework demands so students can practice, often for an hour and a half each night.
“A big part is presenting the speech and making it memorable,” says Stephen Collins. Now a 17-year-old junior, Collins first performed the speech in his freshman year and placed third. Last school year, he clinched first place and earned a spot in a special national competition at Greenwood. For the event, Greenwood partnered with 18 other independent schools.
Collins explains that it took him two months to learn to deliver the speech the way he wanted, as he broke down paragraphs and sentences, used a headset to listen to it constantly, and recited it to himself nonstop. This year, he is mentoring other students.
Many benefits accrue to students through the process, Miller notes. They learn history, vocabulary, reading comprehension, handwriting, articulation, and memorization - not to mention the skill of public speaking. The experience builds character, underscoring the importance of risk-taking and sticking with something that’s hard, Miller says.
The project culminates in February when students give their performances. Miller says that each year students must be able to recite the speech with a limited number of errors to compete. “We don’t put any kids in too awkward of a situation.” For some students, it takes two to three years to qualify.
The school also prepares for students’ jitters on competition day. A faculty member stands on site cuing students if they get stuck or stumble over their words. Upon completing the public speech, a student receives a school coin to mark the accomplishment, an idea introduced by one student’s parent three years ago.
Learning the address has always been a positive part of the school’s culture and connects alumni to their alma mater long after graduation. It also becomes a powerful reference point for a student’s personal development, Miller says. Collins concurs, “Some students say, ‘I can do anything now that I’ve done this speech.’”
