Oratorical is the longest-running tradition here at Glendale High School, and it is also one of the oldest traditions at any high school in the state of California. Despite remote learning restricting us from performing our beloved cheers in person, this event is in the works and is scheduled for March 31st! Director of Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Sydney Garrison and ASB are working together to create this virtual event.
Over the past 112 years, Oratorical has changed drastically since its first inception. Most recently, Oratorical has consisted of four categories: Speech, Tableau, Discipline, and Spirit. These categories require students to be in person and in contact, but Sydney “did not want to skip this tradition just because most of us can’t be on campus.”
To transfer this event digitally, Sydney, and her fellow ASB Officers, needed to implement effective digital categories. They also wanted to add more artistic components to give a larger platform to the VAPA department. The categories this year will include Speech and Spirit as usual, but there will be an additional VAPA category, consisting of both visual and performing arts.
All categories will be performed live on a Zoom webinar open to any and all viewers, on Wednesday, March 31st at 2:00 pm. The link for the webinar can be found HERE.
The Oratorical prompt this year is the following:
One of the hallmark issues that has defined our country since its inception has been the interplay between the rights of the individual and the needs of society. Although the Constitution addresses this issue in the Bill of Rights, the question remains: to what extent — in the interest of creating a fair and equitable society — should the government put limits on personal freedoms?
Each class has also chosen a speaker, an artist or artist, a dancer, and a song to address the prompt. Cheerleaders will also perform their cheers to be judged in the Spirit category.
While the audience will not need to be sitting up straight and cheering their loudest, make sure to join the webinar and support your class safely! Mark your calendars for next Wednesday, March 31st!
