Severn Students Take Top Honors at Maryland State VFW Speech Awards

10/31/2023

This past Sunday, three Severn Students took top honors at the Maryland State VFW Speech Awards during the Veterans of Foreign Wars Awards Ceremony, held at the War Memorial Building in Baltimore.

Junior Nyela Djossou ‘24 took the top award in Buddy Poppy, freshman Val Waugh ‘26 took the top award in the Loyalty Day Speech Contest, and sophomore Charlie Coleman ‘25 won second place in Buddy Poppy. Nyela and Val also received $500 scholarships, and Charlie received a $400 scholarship.

Mr. Ed Coleman, father of sophomore Charlie, described the event as "inspirational and impressive." Mr. Coleman added, "It was great to see Severn represented so well by multiple students."

Severn has a strong history of students performing at local, state, and national speech contests, with guidance from long-time head of Severn’s Oratorical Society and Upper School English teacher Dr. Jackie Baugh. Most recently, Severn seniors Will Toomey ‘23 and Lilly Hughes ‘23 placed second and third respectively in the VFW’s Voice of America speech contest, speaking on “Why is the Veteran Important?”

Looking ahead: This spring, Severn will host a preliminary round of the Rotary International 4-Way Test speech contest.

Back