Whitehall High School English teacher Michelle Abbadessa is the leader of the two-day symposium, bringing together students to present their speech capstone projects. Through the dual enrollment program at Lehigh Carbon Community College, students can earn a high school diploma and get ahead on college credits by enrolling in this class and many others.

The symposium spanned April 29 and 30, with the program topics highlighting growing as a community and our world, our country and our community.

April 29 brought the first collection of speeches surrounding the topic of the high school experience. Some spoke about being “Zephyr strong” and the importance of single-campus schooling within a community.

Nolan Schmeckenbecher embraced this unique trait of Whitehall-Coplay School District.

“Not many can say that they have gone to the same school with the same people on the same campus throughout all of their schooling leading to high school. The Whitehall-Coplay School District is the only district in the Lehigh Valley to have all schools K-12 on a singular campus,” Schmeckenbecher said.

Others reflected on how their communication skills affected learning and relationships.

“Without communication, you wouldn’t be able to collaborate effectively with your peers, such as group projects and having someone to ask to deepen your understanding of a subject. This is something I wish I would have known as a freshman - not being able to ask my peers questions and, in general, not being able to communicate more,” Hailey Lara said.

Speeches also outlined topics on the importance of getting involved in extracurricular activities and the benefits of volunteering in the community.

Kevin Herrera expressed his support for dual enrollment and the financial advantage students have.

“I personally have taken three dual enrollment classes in my four years of high school. Taking these three classes cost me around $270, which may seem like a lot of money, but in comparison to a local university like Kutztown University, if you look at the tuition and fees, it would have cost me over $4,644,” Herrera said.

April 30 was the second round of capstone speeches from students, with topics aimed for a more general audience.

Seth Pascoe opened his group’s presentation on biomes, with a reflection on national, global and communal unity.

“This land is my land, this land is your land, from California to the New York Islands. It is our country, our world and our community,” Pascoe said.

Deanna Li closed her presentation by reflecting on the American dream.

“All in all, our differences as citizens of the United States make us stronger and make the American dream stronger. From our diversity and ethnicities, to gender, to ideas, each of us has something that will make life better for future generations and people all over the world,” Li said.

Other topics included a discussion around gun rights and how to keep communities safe and how poverty rates affect a person’s education.

Simon Younes talked about the importance of diet and how it affects the world around us.

“What we eat has a major impact on us and several aspects of our health. When we eat a healthy and balanced diet, we as individuals can live longer and better lives. When every individual is educated on the importance of diet and strives to improve their diet, the world is healthier as a whole and benefits as a result,” Younes said.

Kendra Musselman illuminated the effects of book banning.

“By censoring literature, we cripple our capacity to understand the complexities of the world and to confront the challenges that lie ahead. We must defend the right of every individual to act, the right of every individual to access information freely and to form their own opinions and beliefs,” Musselman said.

As the event concluded, students could breathe a sigh of relief and independently expressed gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the symposium event. Their capstone projects brought meaningful dialogue to the table for discussion between communities locally, nationally and globally.