Each year Kent State University’s School of Communication Studies hosts the Hyde Park Forum. The Hyde Park Forum is an annual persuasive speech competition for students across the University enrolled in an Introduction to Human Communication course. The forum consists of six students who present their persuasive speech on a social issue of their choosing to a panel of judges and the audience. 2019 marked the 52nd year that the university has held this competition.
Students participating in the Hyde Park Forum present their persuasive speeches to the panel of judges for the opportunity to win scholarships. This year, our very own Attorney Stephanie Hand-Cannane received the honor of being one of the distinguished judges on the panel. The panel, composed of five judges, rate student performances to designate first, second, third and honorable mentions.
The students compete for scholarships ranging from $50.00 to $500.00. In addition to the scholarship awards, the top placing presenter is invited to attend the next year’s forum as a member of the Judges Panel. The Forum also allows for the audience to take part by awarding the “People’s Choice Award.” This award goes to the essay that wins audience favorite.
The 2019 Hyde Park Forum presentations included:
“Toxic Masculinity” by Nick Miller.
“Orca Whales” by Jenna Robinson.
“Bilingualism” by Haylee Grenus.
“Bee Populations” by Madisyn Woodring.
“The Pink Tax” by Annabeth Suchy.
“Safety on the Web” by Luke Leyden.
All of the students were impressive in their persuasive presentations and Attorney Hand-Cannane was honored to serve as a judge at this year’s Hyde Park Forum.
To learn more about the Hyde Park Forum and even watch presentations from previous years check out https://www.kent.edu/tags/hyde-park-forum.
