On May 30 and June 6, the 1st pilot online Rhetorical Arts for Gymnasium meeting took place, and the subject was “Rhetorical activities and Public Speaking events.” Twelve Gymnasiums took part and Pierce – The American College of Greece was a co-organizer. At these meetings, whose main purpose was to highlight Public Speaking skills, Pierce students, members of the Greek Rhetorical Club took part. They were: Vasilis Gavalakis, Alexandros-Dionysis Kollias, Ioanna Bikou, Jasmine-Alexandra Samolada, Maria Tourni and Alexandra-Elisavet Feloukatzi.
The speaking events in which the students took part were: Impromptu Speaking, Oral Interpretation and Debate. The members of the Pierce Rhetorical Club impressed those present with the power of their speaking, their critical thinking and communication skills, and the ease with which they undertook their roles.
Following the cancellation of the IV Gymnasium Rhetorical Arts Competition, it was considered very important to maintain the students’ interest in the art of Public Speaking and to boost their morale, under the new circumstances for all of us due to the pandemic.
Academic advisors to this activity was the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Graduate Program “Rhetoric, Humanities and Education,” in collaboration with the “Hellenic Association for the Promotion of Rhetorical Arts in Education,” which was significant.