GREENFIELD — What do Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, dating websites and various types of fish have in common?
If you’re a supporter of the real estate mogul turned politician, don’t worry: it’s probably not an October surprise. But those three things will be the topics of public speeches made by two Stoneleigh-Burnham School seniors, who’ve qualified for the World Individual Debate and Public Speaking Championship in Pittsburgh at the end of the month.
There, they’ll deliver a series of public speaking displays about Donald Trump’s plan to revamp his social media department and a pitch for a dating website just for fishermen as they vie for the top spot. On the more serious end, one of the girl’s interpretive readings will focus on slavery.
The girls, Claire Lane and Clara Swartzentruber, are both Greenfield natives, and their qualification represents the first time in the school’s history that it has sent two students to the competition in one year, said Nicole Letourneau, the school’s assistant communications director.
Lane secured her spot in the tournament by winning the top spot for dramatic interpretation in Toronto during the International Independent Schools Public Speaking competition, while Swartzentruber qualified by winning top speaker during the debate and public speaking competition held at Stoneleigh-Burnham in October.
Lane also participated in 2015, when she traveled to Hong Kong to compete. She placed sixth out of 150 competitors in the Interpretive Reading category and 10th in After Dinner Speaking.
This year’s tournament will take place March 31 to April 2, with the final rounds on April 4. The girls will be accompanied by Stoneleigh-Burnham history teacher Karen Pleasant. They’ll compete in the After Dinner Speaking, Parliamentary Debate, Impromptu Speaking and Interpretive Reading categories.
“It’s such an honor to have qualified for the world championships,” said Lane, who’s been involved with the school’s speaking program since eighth grade. “It’s the outcome of all our hard work, and going with Clara will be awesome. We’re going to rock this.”
“It’s a tangible marker of our progress,” Swartzentruber said. “It’s a reaffirmation of the work we’ve done, and it’ll be a real honor to be on the team with 11 other American speakers.”
The girls are mentored by Paul Bassett, the school’s long-time debate and speaking coach.
“Without exaggeration these are two of the finest independent school speakers in the country,” Bassett said. “I am so proud of their body of work.”
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