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Nichols Elementary students showcase Ford’s Theater oratory work; teacher urges district PD support
Summary
Nichols Elementary teacher Miss Kinder and students presented oratory skills learned through a Ford’s Theater fellowship; she asked the Cabell County Board of Education to consider funding teacher professional development outside the county to expand the program.
Miss Kinder, a Nichols Elementary teacher who received a four-year fellowship with Ford’s Theater, told the Cabell County Board of Education on June 2 that her students’ public-speaking work improved English language arts outcomes and produced a quilt-and-letter project requested by Ford’s Theater for its library.
"In August of 2024, I received a four-year fellowship in the Ford's Theater Teacher Oratory Program," Miss Kinder said, describing a mentorship model in which teaching artists worked alongside her. She and two student speakers demonstrated podium skills—pace, emphasis, diction, tone and volume—and explained rhetorical strategies the class practiced.
Two students who attended a Ford’s Theater retreat, Paxton Payne and Max Roy, delivered original speeches to the board. Payne argued for a new baseball complex for Barbersville, citing LittleLeague.org cost estimates (he said a field "might cost up to $150,000 per field") and economic benefits from tournaments. Max Roy spoke about prejudice and the role of the arts as a "safe haven," and tied oratory practice to improved ELA mastery levels in his classroom.
Miss Kinder told the board the fellowship has required substantial time and some paid professional leave; she requested the district consider making funds available so teachers can pursue professional development outside the county. "A small amount could make a huge difference," she said, noting she traveled 43 miles to participate in the program and that part of her PD time was funded by Nichols Elementary staff.
Board members and Superintendent Hardesty praised the students’ presentations and discussed potential funding sources; one member suggested the Cabell County Schools Foundation as a possible partner. The board did not take formal action on funding at the meeting.
The program also produced a student-made quilt and book that Ford’s Theater asked to include in its library in Washington, D.C., a detail museum and program partners highlighted during later agenda items.
Next steps: photographs and a brief recognition were scheduled after the presentations; no vote or budget appropriation for expanded PD was made during the June 2 meeting.
