Feb. 24, 2023 - For the third year in a row, a student from Church Hill Middle School was named the champion of Comal ISD’s annual Comal Speaks competition. This year marked the sixth anniversary of the program which challenges middle school students to prepare and present speeches to judges on topics related to Comal Commitment character traits.
This year’s district champion is Rylan Frech, an eighth-grade student from CHMS. He spoke about perseverance and how he learned how to persevere during a difficult time, specifically, when his baby brother, Raysen, passed away from heart complications. Frech, who was 5 at the time, explained that through this experience he learned to embrace joy thanks to the birth of his sister a couple of years later. In his speech, he said, “She became the light of our lives. She brings joy to all of us.”
Frech, who also participated in elementary school for the Comal Shake competition, is not a stranger to public speaking explaining that he has given multiple speeches about his experience and is happy to use his story as a way to honor Raysen.
“It’s such an honor to be here and to experience all the other finalists speak,” Frech said. “It’s nice to interact with students from other schools, and overall, it is a humbling experience.”
Comal Speaks began as a way to continue the interest students had in the Comal Shake competition which begins in elementary schools. Many of the students who compete in Comal Speaks, competed as elementary students in the Shake contest and are anxious to continue to use the character traits in middle school.
Students are given three minutes to prepare their responses on topics that relate to the Comal Commitment character traits and three minutes to present their speeches to a panel of judges. The character traits include responsibility, respect, judgment, honesty, integrity, courtesy, confidence, teamwork, empathy and perseverance.
Students who competed in the district competition in the finals this year included Astarya Lauben and Kalynn Wheeler representing Canyon Middle School; Anne Dunn and Frech representing CHMS; Melanie Scheerer and Camila Vega Serrano representing Danville Middle School; Kylee Griffin and Miller Beebe representing Mountain Valley Middle School; Olivia George and Darrah Swain representing Pieper Ranch Middle School; Matteo Jofre and Ameliya Sweeney representing Spring Branch Middle School; and Oliver Perkins and Macey Wunderlich representing Smithson Valley Middle School.
-Rylan Frech, an eighth-grade student at Church Hill Middle School is this year’s Comal Speaks champion.
-The finalists for the 2023 Comal Speaks championship are pictured. Top row from left is Macey Wunderlich, Kalynn Wheeler, Kylee Griffin, Miller Beebe, Oliver Perkins, Rylan Frech and Astarya Lauben. Front row from left is Olivia George, Darrah Swain, Ameliya Sweeney, Matteo Jofre, Camila Vega Serrano, Melanie Scheerer and Anne Dunn.