College Place Middle School: Night of the Notables

An annual rite of passage for seventh graders at College Place Middle School is Night of the Notables. In the project students choose an influential figure in history. They then research that individual and prepare speeches which they then deliver (in character and costume) to a cafeteria full of family and friends.

There's something about seeing a room full of 13 year olds dressed as the likes of Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, and Abraham Lincoln that reminds you of the success of our public school system and just how much time and effort students and their families dedicate to it.

While each English teacher at CPM varies the details of the project to fit their curriculum, tonight's event had three parts: First, family and friends were invited down to the floor and the 'notables' gave their four minute speeches to this small group. It became a raucous affair in which you found someone like Pele explaining their accomplishments while three feet away Wilbur Wright was trying to do the same. At this point I got to listen to full speeches by Muammar Gaddafi and Jackie Robinson. Robinson went above and beyond the expectations with over 100 notecards and talked for a full eight minutes.  

Next, audience members got to wander through the notables and ask them questions. The goal is to figure out just who each person is based on their answers. At this point I got to ask Neil Armstrong what it felt like to walk on the moon and Princess Diana why she thought it was important to raise money for charities. 

Finally,  they gave a short speech to the entire crowd in which they attempted to persuade the audience that they are the most 'notable' person present. Each speech includes a famous quote from the notable and a list of their accomplishments. For many students it is probably the first time they've spoken to an audience using a microphone.

When asked why she puts so much time into planning Night of the Notables, teacher Carly Althauser said, "It's an important project. Students learn research skills and get to develop their public speaking skills. And they get to do it in a way that is more fun because they actually get to become the person. Basically, middle school students are more engaged when they get to role play and what they learn really sticks with them."

At the end of the event audience members were asked to vote for two 'bests': the 'Best Overall Notable' and the 'Best Speaker'. There were a lot of great speakers and for me 'Best Speaker' ended up a tie between Cleopatra and Anne Frank. For 'Best Overall Notable', however, I had to stick with my own middle school love of baseball and go with Jackie Robinson.

It is clear that the project is popular among students. As the audience filled I could hear several older siblings reminiscing about their own experiences at Night of the Notables. Hopefully, it will continue to be a tradition for years to come.