On the bustling campus of Cathedral Catholic, a remarkable event has been in the works for quite some time: TEDx CCHS Youth! This isn’t just any event – it’s a celebration of ideas, where students can showcase their voices and speak their truth. Both the speakers and committee have worked throughout the year to foster creativity among its students and provide a platform where students can express themselves.
TEDx is a global event where educated individuals can research and discover “ideas worth spreading.” The TEDx event specifically on campus began through the amazing effort of Ms. Fiore, who worked tirelessly to put together the event itself as well as to incorporate it into her sophomore year English curriculum. During an interview, Ms. Fiore explained, “I filled out a lengthy application to receive our TEDx license,” and further explained that she spent the year “planning who the community speaker will be, supporting students writing their talks, designing the event and figuring out all of the logistics with the TEDx Student Committee and my Co-coordinator, Mr. Threatt.” The TEDx committee and event is a testament to its dedication to providing a platform for student voices.
The TEDx committee was assembled through applications where students could showcase how they would help the committee and is composed of students and faculty members. The student committee is made of five Sophomore Representatives, six Junior Representatives, eight Senior Advisors, three Marketing Directors, two Art Directors, four Assistant Lead Student Directors, and two Lead Student Directors. These diverse students come together to share their passion for igniting curiosity.
In its second official year of production, countless students and faculty worked around the clock to make this the best one yet. This includes Committee Leaders Luna Smith ‘25 and Gavin Ault ‘35, who have worked incredibly hard to provide support to all committee members and plan the event alongside Ms. Fiore and Mr. Threatt.
When interviewing Ault, one Leader of the Committee, he shared that he believes that “TEDx improves the school community by giving students a platform to share ideas and inspire their peers.” He explained that he joined the committee after the great experience he had at last year’s event, where he shared his own TEDx talk.
In addition to Gavin Ault, another key component of the student committee is Lukas Pascual-Gonazlez ‘26, an Art Director who shared that he works to “create visuals and foster enthusiasm for the upcoming event.” When asked why he chose to join the committee, Pascual-Gonazlez explained that he “chose the program because I want to use my skills to my fullest potential to help others, and help out with planning the event.”
In addition to the committee members, the speakers have also been working. From selecting compelling topics to crafting engaging narratives and delivering impactful presentations, they work extremely hard to prepare and execute their speeches as best they can. Lindsay Zimmer, a sophomore speaker sharing about the importance of your gut microbiome, shared that she is “excited to have the opportunity to talk and educate others on how to improve their health because this topic is not very well known.” She explained that she was inspired by her health journey and hopes to “influence others to make a healthy and positive impact in their lives.”
Another student speaker, Patsy Hellman ‘26, who shared about inequality in women’s sports, explained, “I was inspired to speak about the gender disparities in sports regarding the media, marketing, and funding, and ways that we can stop sexism in the sports industry.” She outlined her process of writing and preparing her speech, “brainstorming topics that we were passionate about… then writing our scripts and creating our slides, and finally memorizing and rehearsing our presentations for the final day.” Zimmer and Hellman’s dedication to their speeches demonstrate the importance of giving students a platform to voice their opinions.
To close, Cathedral Catholic High School’s first TEDx event showcases the creativity and passion of its students. Thanks to the hard work of the committee and the engaging talks from speakers, the event has sparked curiosity and inspired meaningful conversations throughout the school community. We eagerly look forward to the positive impact it will have on student empowerment and innovation in the future.
