Middle School Students Prepare for TED Talks

Benjamin middle school students are hard at work, polishing their TED talks for this Saturday’s TEDX event. This year’s theme, “Sapir Whorf,” is based on the theory of the same name that suggests the choice of words particular to any language directly affects the experience of native speakers. The program, coordinated by Middle School Academic Dean Dr. Tina James, will feature adult and student speakers sharing “ideas worth spreading.”

“In Mayim Bialik's YouTube Posting "Girl Versus Woman" she discusses the effect on women of calling them "girls." Likewise, the careful choice of diction by an author in the first paragraph of a novel can set the mood irrevocably and powerfully.  TEDxTheBenjaminSchool invites our speakers this year to consider both the importance of ideas worth spreading and the specific words we use to spread those ideas,” said James.

Twenty-seven Benjamin students and seven guest speakers will take the stage in Benjamin Hall from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday April 21. Seventh grader Eden Doner, who wants to be a sports reporter when she is older, will be giving her TedX Talk about movie scores and why everyone should have his or her life set to music.

“Eden's talk is the perfect example of humanities at work at Benjamin,” said Dr. James. “She has worked with dance teacher Mrs. Rudner, music teacher Mr. Huber and the English department to perfect her TEDX talk.”

Seventh grader Sebastian Hell will speak about not living in the shadow of his famous father, Nobel Prize winning Chemist Dr. Stefan Hell, but, rather, in his illumination.

Guest speakers include local Keri Morrison, founder of "Live Like Jake," which is focused on ending childhood drowning, and young adult author Nora Baskin.




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A premier PK3 - Grade 12 independent, coeducational day school with campuses in North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. Since 1960, The Benjamin School has provided a challenging college preparatory education to a diverse student body in a structured, nurturing community environment.
 
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