In an effort to educate and prepare the incoming fifth-graders at James H. Boyd Intermediate School, eight current fifth-graders hosted a leadership presentation on June 19 to share information and answer student questions.

The student speakers were part of a leadership committee program whose goal is to help fourth-graders learn from the experiences of fifth-graders to create a smooth transition into next year. Consisting of fifth-graders Ryan Andersen, Jenna Ban, Briana Ebinger, James Froh, Krish Khanna, Meghan McGowan, Sean O’Grady and John Oualaalou, the students had about eight weeks to prepare for the event. They devoted one hour of their time each week to write their speeches, type their speeches and practice their public speaking skills.

Fourth-graders arrived to the presentation with notebooks in hand and took notes on what to expect, including useful tips that the speakers provided. The fifth-graders discussed topics such as how to succeed in school, studying and homework tips, best behavior, time management, how to stay organized and the new experiences that the fourth-graders can expect.

At the conclusion of presentation, the fifth-graders answered questions that the fourth-graders had. They spoke about locker sharing, project difficulties, field trips, subjects taught and offered their best advice to the fourth-graders in hopes that their transition to fifth-grade would be a successful one.