Photo: Ted ON from left to right:
Leadership 2 instructor Tracy Kollock challenged her North High School students to take on a project most professionals would shrink at.
Kollock’s Leadership 2 class presented five- to seven-minute talks on a wide range of issues that included Social Acceptance to Sexualization in the Media. Kollock’s pride was apparent at a post-talk celebration of the students’ accomplishments as she shared the challenging process the students went through to perfect their presentation.
The students, relieved and feeling accomplished, celebrated the completion of the project. Katelynn Akin, who spoke on Being True to Yourself, said she “loved it. Loved talking.”
The project, modeled after the popular TED Talks, encouraged students to leave their comfort zone and create TED-like talks on difficult subjects. Kollock’s students benefited from a cross-curriculum effort that engaged Angela Olson’s English class in helping the students fine-tune and practice their talks. Olson, who has TV production experience, assisted in filming the students so they could watch and improve their presentation.
Nicole Peterson, career and tech ed coordinator at Oshkosh Area School District, invited members of the community to attend the talks held Jan. 16 at Oshkosh North.
“Students in Leadership 2 are given the chance to enhance their leadership abilities by learning how to send a clear and concise message about topics that are sometimes difficult to talk about, Peterson said. “These students went outside of their comfort zone to deliver these powerful messages, and that is exactly what we will need them to do when they become our leaders of tomorrow.”
Also attending was Michael Rust, executive director of the Winnebago County Conflict Resolution Center.
“The Oshkosh North students did a wonderful job picking topics, researching and effectively delivering their messages. Public speaking is a necessary skill and one that is not taught often enough,” Rust said. “TED is focused on its mission of Ideas Worth Spreading and TEDx takes that mission to local communities through independently organized events. Having these students do TED-like talks helps them to develop the skills to spread their ideas to audiences big and small.”
Videos of the students can be viewed by clicking here.
Originally printed on Feb. 1, 2018, Oshkosh Herald.
