NAHANT — After hearing nine different Johnson School sixth graders recite the Gettysburg Address by memory Friday afternoon, judges chose sixth grader Ione Byam Miller to recite Abraham Lincoln’s speech at the town’s Memorial Day parade Monday, May 29.
Johnson teacher Ruth Kobus gathered her sixth-grade class outside the school to collectively recite the same 10 sentences Lincoln delivered to unite Americans four months after one of the Civil War’s bloodiest battles.
Kobus said her students have worked to memorize the speech since they returned from April break. Of the 15 students, nine volunteered to recite the address before judges Julie Tarmy, executive director of the Nahant Historical Society; veterans David Conlin and Anna Manzano; and Johnson fifth-grade teacher Gabrielle Radermacher.
“Gradually, we got to the point where we didn’t need the paper anymore,” Kobus said. “Maybe a little hint every now and then, but they’ve worked very hard to get to the point where they all can — for the most part — recite it from memory.”
Tarmy, who has judged each year’s contest for the last 10 years, said the competitive tradition started roughly 100 years ago. As the judges read along with each of the students’ speeches, noting inaccuracies, Tarmy said they mainly looked for accuracy, enunciation, and delivery.
Conlin said although all nine students performed tremendously, Byam Miller’s delivery and confidence set her apart from her peers.
“I don’t think anybody’s head and shoulders above the others, but her delivery caught us all — and the emotion, the confidence, it was spectacular,” Conlin said.
Sixth-grade student Grey Palmer, who said he practiced the speech daily, was chosen for second place as the “understudy” in the event that Byam Miller is unable to attend the Memorial Day service.
Byam Miller said she practiced a few times a day for close to a month in preparation for the contest.
“I really like presenting and doing speeches,” she said. “I’m really excited for Memorial Day.”
