Photo Gallery: 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School
8th grade student Madison Clevenger delivers a final-round speech called “My Body is Mine” as part of the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
8th grade student Isabella Gentilé delivers a final-round speech about confidence as part of the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
8th grade student Mark Lin delivers a final-round speech about “discrimin-Asian” as part of the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
Judges June Shaw, Melissa Daniel, 17, Ron Rodacher, Stephanie Kazaryan, 17, and Clare Collins, 17, all of Burbank score the last speech delivered and then sort all of the papers that will determine the winner at the final-round of speeches at the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
8th grade student Jane Zagaryan delivers a final-round speech about taking risks as part of the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
8th grade student Mareh Hamo delivers a final-round speech about the importance of smiling as part of the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
8th grade student Michael Mansour delivers a final-round speech about acceptance as part of the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
8th grade student Avian Priestly asks the audience to raise their hand if they experienced a loss of opportunity for because of their sex during the final-round of the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
8th grade student Emily Abad delivers a final-round speech about over thinking as part of the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
8th grade student Isabella Gentilé asks the judges to stand during her speech about confidence at the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
8th grade student Avian Priestly delivers a final-round speech about being a girl as part of the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
Teacher and leader of the speech competition Rod Rothacher gives final words of encouragement to the students in the finals of the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
Students in the audience applaud the performance of the last speech at the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
8th grade student Madison Clevenger delivers a final-round speech called “My Body is Mine” as part of the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
Judges Stephanie Kazaryan, 17, and Clare Collins, 17, of Burbank laugh as they pour through the pages of notes they made as 8th grade students delivered their final-round speeches at the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
Teacher and leader of the speech competition Rod Rothacher introduces the students in the students in the final round of the 12th annual speech contest at John Muir Middle School on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)