I’m sure most of you have listened to, heard about, or seen a Ted Talk in person. This fall, Berkshire School partnered with TedXTalks to host an official Ted Talk Conference featuring six students, one faculty, and one alum! The community gathered in Allen Theater to embrace the insightful and intriguing ideas presented by the speakers and to connect through shared feelings of excitement, passion, and curiosity. 

 Firstly, let’s applaud the hours of effort that Zach Zaurov, Harry Stone, and Riki Ishiyama put into making the TedXTalk possible and more importantly, successful. Not only did they organize the logistics of this grand event, but they also served as speakers’ mentors, guides, and close friends throughout the preparation stage. Behind the scenes, we had a ‘selection committee,’ or the management team, that helped with the initial speaker selection process and the preparation throughout October and November. Let’s give these students a silent round of applause for their meaningful contributions to the Ted Talk event: Zach, Harry, Riki, Yuki, Owen R., Blaze, Henry Z, Alex C, Abu D, and Daniel E! 

 Of course, let us not forget the brave students who stepped out of their comfort zones to present their ideas in engaging and professional speeches to the Berkshire community: James Welsch, Noboru Tsuru, Eli Haskel, Mason Moorhead, Claire Kim, and Emily Yang! Starting in October, each student worked rigorously to thoroughly research their chosen topic, write a compelling speech, create captivating slides, and rehearse the Talk until it lived in their mouths. 

 This evening, Eli started off strongly with a discussion of ‘brave’ political spaces, followed by Mr.Splawn’s insight into mindbugs and flaws in human perception. Claire then presented the necessity of cultural and intellectual humility in a globalized society. To give the audience a break from cognitive topics, James came on to express his passionate view on receiving therapy. Without a slideshow, he delivered a motivational speech on why everyone needs to see a therapist, whether they think it is necessary or not. Carrying on the inspirational atmosphere, Mason presented his talk on the value of adopting shelter dogs. After his powerful speech on shelter dog adoptions, Emily immediately grabbed the audience’s attention with a unique discussion on the role metaphysical objects play in decreasing stress. Next up was alum, Kevin Kelly who introduced us to his journey of founding ‘After Hours,’ a pop-up restaurant that attracts the public with creative menus. To close the conference, Noboru taught the students and faculty the importance of acquiring public speaking skills. He reminded everyone that each one of us, just like the TED speakers on stage, has the power and capability to step out of our comfort zones and ‘Climb the Mountain.’ 

 All audience members will agree that the night was beyond impressive, entertaining, and eye-opening. Amid uncertain, scary times, exchanging and responding to new ideas help bridge identities, beliefs, and differences, allowing us to understand and appreciate one another’s significant contribution to the wisdom Berkshire holds.