Public Speaking for 9th & 10th Graders

Break Through is built for the second identity shift — high school. Ninth and tenth graders are forming reputations, navigating higher-stakes social dynamics, and showing up in rooms where presence actually matters: class presentations, extracurricular pitches, part-time job interviews, leadership positions. This track teaches them to build that reputation on something real.

The word "emergence" is deliberate. You're no longer the new student — you're a person with a reputation, and that reputation is being built whether you're building it deliberately or not. Break Through teaches students to build it deliberately.

Session four is called Hard Rooms — and that's exactly what it trains for. Distracted audiences, skeptical teachers, hostile interviewers. The students who come out of this track don't just know how to give a speech. They know how to hold their presence when the room is working against them.

Five sessions — built to build

Summer: five consecutive days, 90 minutes each. Fall/spring: once a week for five weeks, 60 minutes each.

1. 01
   Emergence

   You're no longer the new student. Your reputation is already being built — this session is about building it deliberately.
2. 02
   Identity

   Authentic presence in rooms with higher stakes. Pillar two in full practice: don't fake it, emerge as yourself.
3. 03
   The REAL Pitch

   The same framework — applied in adversarial conditions. Skeptical audiences, hard follow-up questions, real pressure.
4. 04
   Hard Rooms

   Distracted, hostile, or higher-status audiences. How to hold your presence when the room is working against you.
5. 05
   Showcase

   A 5-minute persuasive speech. Real stakes, real audience, real influence.

Summer camp or school-year cohort

Common questions about Break Through