Today's "how-to" speech in Mrs. Burk-Sciallo's Speech and Debate class was perfect timing for the frigid temperatures in Cooperstown. Junior Thomas Geertgens presented a lesson on how to jump start a car if its battery dies.

Thomas recommends always keeping a set of jumper cables in your car just in case you find yourself stranded on a bitterly cold morning, and now everyone in Speech and Debate class knows how to use them!

Jump starting a car is just one of many valuable skills that students in Mrs. Burk-Sciallo's class have learned in Speech and Debate. Recently, students presented lessons on how to make friendship bracelets, how to set up a Google Calendar, how to change a tire and how to apply make-up.

The main goal of Speech and Debate class is for students to become comfortable with public speaking by choosing a topic they care about and becoming the teacher for 20 minutes. Students practice skills they have honed since the start of the school year, including speech organization, confidence, tone, volume and eye contact.

Nice work today, Thomas!