AROUND Athletics CAMPUS
Annual Report SPRING 2013
The Waites, Norths and Martires at the Waites’ home
Next Head of School Dr. Andy Martire and his Family Visit Kinkaid Dr. Andy Martire, his wife Eva, and their children Belle, Tyler and Max were further introduced to the School and the City of Houston during a visit in February. One of the highlights was a reception in their honor hosted by Trustee AnnaLee Waite and her husband Andy. At the gathering, the School’s Board of Trustees and the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors heartily welcomed them. Dr. Martire also spent time with the School’s Administrative Team to help plan for the transition to his leadership.
Middle School Speech Evolves The Middle School speech program has been revamped this year with a new emphasis on tournament competition. Patty Edwards, who ran the program years ago, has come full circle, returning the competitive aspect of the program to the more than 60 students she teaches. Edwards shares, “We are providing students the opportunity to test their skills in public speaking and the interpretation of literature.” All students enrolled must compete in at least one tournament per year and most of them are speaking in public for the first time. They gain confidence in Edwards’ classes and during practice, which takes place during class, before and after school and on the weekends. They compete in a variety of speech contest events including Dramatic Interpretation, Oratory, Humorous Interpretation and Extemporaneous Speaking. There are even “fun” categories like Lip Sync. Edwards works with the students to help them choose events most suited for them. She wants every student to be successful in some way. This The Duet Acting Championship Teams were made up of seventh graders Ashton Lambert was especially evident in Duet Acting, as Kinkaid had a and Warren Barr in the fall, and Myles Chandler and Will Kunetka in the spring. championship team in both the fall and spring semesters this year. One of those students, Ashton Lambert ’18 remarks, “In school speech program as such, “The education of middle school speech I have learned that teamwork and confidence are the most students through speech activities provides them with an opportunity important things.” to apply the development of their thinking skills and social awareness through communication.” A lofty goal, and Kinkaid seems to be But it is not all about the competition. The National Forensic League, rising to the occasion. of which Kinkaid is a member, describes the benefits of a middle 3