Moreland School District
4711 Campbell Avenue
San Jose, CA 95130-1790
Phone: (408) 874-2900
Fax: (408) 374-8827

CONTACT US

Holding On For a Hero -
Moreland Speech Contest 2009

The kids in Moreland know what it takes to make a hero! On Thursday,
December 10, forty two students stood behind podiums to present their views on heroism before judges and peers. Two students from each
Moreland elementary school presented in the fourth and fifth grade competitions, while EDS and MMS students competed in sixth through eighth grades. Two winners were chosen in each grade level.

Examples of real life heroes ranged from the lofty (Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, Gandhi) to the every day (fire fighters, parents, teachers). Several less widely recognized heroes were honored in the winning speeches. These included Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female doctor in the US, the Unknown Rebel, the public’s name for the unnamed man who stopped a column of tanks in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989, and the one person at school who befriended a young boy during his first year in this country.

Each year, volunteers from the Moreland community act as contest judges. This year’s judges included Jane Kennedy, Mayor of Campbell; Pamela Hammer, Chair of the Board of Directors of The Wellness Group; Maria del Rio, Director of HR, Milpitas Unified School District; Helen Wong, CPA, David and Lucille Packard Foundation; Paul Molinelli, Director of Professional Development, St. Ignatius High School; Rich Stiller, HR Partner, Silicon Image; and Suzanne Regul, President, Moreland West Neighborhood Association.The Moreland School District wishes to thank everyone who volunteered their time to make this inspiring event a success.

The Moreland Speech Contest allows kids to make their unique voices heard. This year, one point was very clear: you don’t need to wear a cape or tights to be a hero in a student’s life.

Slideshow Home

“If students are encouraged to engage in critical thinking and give voice to their ideas, they will become thoughtful, productive members of society.”