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By Federico Barrera Staff Reporter
Next month, DHHS students will be among the few to host a TEDx Youth event.
On March 10, students will transform the Hand cafeteria into a TEDx stage where twenty speakers, including Hand alumni, three current students, and adults from the community, will deliver talks on the theme "That Makes Two of Us."
There are currently 39 students on the production team. Under the leadership of senior Rebe Wahl and Principal Salutari, they coordinated the audiovisual technology, designed the artwork, and secured sponsors.
Students across grade levels are excited to participate.
"It's an amazing opportunity for a public school to have," Sam Wheeler, a sophomore on the lighting team, said. "I only ever heard of Ted talks by adults, but I never knew schools could do it, which makes it so much cooler."
Justin Li, lighting team, said that students are also motivated by the desire to be competitive in college admissions. He said that TEDx events are impressive on resumes, and having produced one in high school will help students stand out.
Being Hand's first TEDx event, the tickets team will distribute only one hundred live passes to the community.
The project's goal is to promote solidarity and understanding in the student body. The event's website illustrates the theme, "That Makes Two of Us," with a hypothetical: "Picture this: you're having a rough day. Super tired, worried, or upset. You tell a friend how you're feeling and they say ‘well, that makes two of us.’ Now WAIT! Right there! Even though your friend didn't solve your problem/fix your bad day, simply them saying that they are feeling a similar way might make you feel a smidge better."
The speakers will be people with ties to Madison.
Wahl said that to comply with TED regulations, the team recruited speakers from various walks of life. In addition, after March, Hand will need to reapply for a permit to hold future events. She said If the project successfully engages the student body and spreads a positive message, Hand will reapply.
"We have many different speakers including: three current students at Hand, one Hand graduate, and the rest are adults who have heard about it from the community," Wahl said. "We tried to forget about extenuating factors [e.g., age, gender, relationship to Hand] and pay attention to their ideas."
A full list of speakers can be found at https://www.tedxdanielhandhs.com/participate
