Southside High School hosted its third annual TED Ed evening, where students and faculty presented a series of personal talks on resilience, identity, belonging and opportunity.

The program opened with advisers Christine Brown and Nicole Noor thanking school and district staff for supporting the TED Ed Club and naming Mark Palminteri, Lauren Reed, Rob Lichter, Mel Lopez, the Video Club, Dr. Russ Demben and Anthony Capuccio for technical and speaker support. The night featured nine talks by students and one by chemistry teacher Herb Weiss, each framed as short, personal TED-style presentations.

Connor Stack, a Southside High student, described finding community and balance through Dungeons & Dragons after struggling in his early high-school years. "You need to balance your life. You can let your imagination run wild, but you have to balance how you work with that," he said, recounting how joining theater, video club and other activities helped him improve academically and socially.

Chesler Dortley — introduced by the emcee as "Chesler Dortley" and who in the talk referred to themself as "Jessler" — described leaving Haiti and the mixed reception immigrants sometimes face. "I am proud to be a part of it," the speaker said, framing their remarks around resilience, family history and gratitude for education.

Lucy Frayn addressed feminism and representation, arguing that "feminism is an advocacy for women's rights on the basis that everyone is equal," and urging continued work toward equal representation.

Herb Weiss, a Southside High chemistry teacher speaking in what the event introduced as his final TED talk at the school, used a door metaphor to describe second chances and late-in-life career change. Recounting his path from truck driver to teacher, Weiss said, "Understand that every door you go through is going to bring you to a new place."

Ninth grader Haruka Brown used a hypothetical "Would you rather" thought experiment to examine how people rush to grow up on social media and the trade-offs of accelerated expectations. She closed with a direct question to the audience: "Would you rather live life faster, live life normally, or live life slower?"

Eniola Bongboche — introduced by the emcee as "Eniola Bongboche" and who in the talk said their name as "Anula" — gave a history- and family-centered talk on the value of stubbornness and grit. "The reason I'm alive is due to stubbornness and grit," the speaker said, linking personal perseverance to cultural survival.

Theodore Moore discussed living with hydrocephalus and the medical device called a shunt that reroutes fluid when cerebrospinal pathways are blocked. Using a transit metaphor, he said, "That is your new path that is your new pathway in order to get to your destination," describing repeated medical challenges and adaptations.

Exchange student Nona Sedrayakyan described coming to the United States through the FLEX program, difficulties with an initial host family, and later finding a supportive host family and teachers. She advised, "Don't let your fear make your decisions. Let your courage guide you."

Rory Zuckerman closed the evening by urging peers to try new experiences and collect new "puzzle pieces" of identity and interest. "Look for as many puzzle pieces as possible, and don't let the fear of a new one stop you from getting it," Rory said, citing music and a recent European trip as formative experiences.

The event emphasized student voice, mentor support and community hosting for exchange students. Organizers noted the evening is an annual showcase; this program was described in remarks as the third annual TED Ed event at Southside High School. There were no formal motions or district actions announced during the program.

School staff and student advisers said they hope the talks will encourage other students to identify "ideas worth sharing" and to seek mentors or groups that support their interests.