In the spirit of debate, the ESU New York Debate League welcomed schools from across the country to engage in five robust virtual debate tournaments during the 2020/2021 Middle School Debate season. The championship took place on May 8th and 9th via Zoom.
After breaking past regional competitions, the remaining challengers debated The two party system is bad for American Democracy during the semi-final round, with both The Dalton School in NYC and Blessed Sacrament School in Washington, DC advancing to the final round.
Scrupulously debating the topic The US should not develop or use lethal autonomous weapons both finalist teams from The Dalton School in NYC and Blessed Sacrament School in Washington, DC thoughtfully crafted compelling arguments.
Ultimately, students from The Dalton School, Aminata Diallo, Arav Mehta, and Cole Corper were led by coach Evan Streams to victory.
On June 17, 2021, we proudly hosted our first-ever virtual ARNIC Graduation ceremony.
This ceremony was dedicated to both the 2020 and 2021 graduates, who despite all circumstances, successfully completed the ESU ARNIC English Language Program. We congratulate each and every one of our graduates.
Join us in commemorating the achievement of over 300 graduates, by watching the recording of this joyous celebration.
In conjunction with the 100 Years, 100 Stories project, we are pleased to announce the Centennial Auction, which features unique and timeless objects from across Royal and ESU history.
Precious items, such as this framed handwritten letter from Winston Churchill are available.
To place a bid, simply click on any object. Once you've clicked into an object, you will see an individual page has opened with the object image and description. On this page, fill in the information fields listed to the right hand side of the image. Once your information is listed, select "Submit Bid". If you have any questions or technical issues, please reach out to us atStories@esuus.org
Our centennial celebrations will culminate on June 24th at 5pm EST in Celebrating Centennial Stories: An evening of Storytelling! During this special event we'll be unveiling our new virtual time capsule website, which compiles all submitted ESU stories to the 100 Years, 100 Stories Project.
The 100 Years, 100 Stories project serves as a snapshot of the impact and achievements made by the ESU's members, volunteers, students, tutors, and anyone ever touched by ESU's programming over the past 100 years.
The event will feature an exclusive performance by the Oxford Philharmonic, and spotlight the winners of the 'Outstanding Story' Award. We will also be joined by some very special guests, who will be speaking about their enriching relationship with the ESU. We hope to see you there!
Announcing the winners of the 38th English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition
National News
April 26th, 2021 - New York City: Adapting to the ever changing circumstances brought on by the global pandemic, ESU hosted the 38th annual National Shakespeare Competition virtually for the second time ever.
This year's competition utilized Zoom, YouTube, text-to-vote, among other virtual technologies to bring the competition alive. The virtual platform enabled hundreds of students, schools, and spectators alike to tune in across the world. We are proud to announce the winners of the year's competition:
Delilah Delgado of the ESU San Diego Branch won 1st Place with her quick witted and thorough renditions of Pheobe from As Your Like It, and Sonnet 62.
Her teacher, Samantha Howard of the Bishop's School will receive the $1000 Teacher Recognition Award, being the second such award recipient, since the award's founding last year.
Anna Sheehan of the ESU Boston Branch took 2nd Place. Her teacher, Barbara Whitlock of Montrose School will receive the $500 Teacher Recognition Award.
Samuel Christian of the ESU Los Angeles Branch won 3rd place. His teacher, Elizabeth Dennehy of Los Angeles County High School for the Arts will receive the $250 Teacher Recognition Award.
The second annual People's Choice Award was won by Spencer Morvillo of the Monmouth County Branch, student of Smita Ganatra at Glen Ridge High School received 487 votes.
Over 6,000 people voted from around the world, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Ghana, and China, expanding the competition's community despite the pandemic.
It is with deep respect and admiration that we honor the life and legacy of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, President of the English-Speaking Union of the Commonwealth. Prince Philip served as the President of the English-Speaking Union of the Commonwealth from 1952 to 2011, during which time the English-Speaking Union of the United States had 14 Chairmen serve the joint purpose and pursuits of the organization.
Prince Philip toasting the Queen at the Waldorf Astoria, New York, next to Lewis Douglas (Chairman of ESU from 1955-1959), and Arthur H. Dean (Chairman of ESU from 1959-1961)
Prince Philip was a dedicated leader of the organization. He is credited with founding the Public Speaking Competition, a program which hosts participants from the English-Speaking Union of the United States at the Commonwealth headquarters, Dartmouth House, each year, in what is now the largest such competition for schools in England and Wales.
The English-Speaking Union of the United States wishes everyone a proud and happy International Women's Day. As an organization, we recognize that women solidify and advocate for our communities both here at the English-Speaking Union, and also across the world.
We believe that the only path to true freedom is one which fosters equity for all people and specifically works to uplift those frequently sequestered to the margin. We are proud to work alongside so many women as we promote global goodwill and scholarship in English language education.
Dear Colleagues, Members & Friends of the English-Speaking Union,
Racism and xenophobia have no place in our society. We stand in solidarity with Asian and Asian-American communities across the country that have been the subject of racially-motivated attacks. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the English-Speaking Union, we reaffirm our commitment to civil dialogue, global understanding and cross-cultural exchange. The diversity of our communities strengthens and enriches us all.
H.E. Dr. Paul Beresford-Hill, CBE. KSt.J.
Chairman, The English-Speaking Union of the United States
We want to hear from you! Whether you are a student, alumni, volunteer, patron, member, or otherwise, we want to hear about your most memorable moments with the ESU. In honor of our centennial year we're creating a virtual time capsule - a website which stitches our individual stories together to form a centennial snapshot of The English-Speaking Union's impactful legacy.
Read more about this project and submit your story below
Are you looking to build fluency and confidence in English? Our English in Action program will match you with your own native speaker. We continue to accept new students on a rolling basis, so register for our upcoming info session. Students must be 18 years or older to participate in the program. Students must also speak English at an intermediate level or higher. Course fees apply.
ESU Logo Awarded in 2020 GDUSA American Graphic Design Awards
National News
For their work redesigning the English-Speaking Union's logo and brand, graphic design firm Odgis + Co has won the 2020 GDUSA American Graphic Design Award. The award was presented to only 700 projects from more than 10,000 entries across all design fields.
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Are you looking to build fluency and confidence in English? Our English in Action program will match you with your own native speaker. We continue to accept new students on a rolling basis, so register for our upcoming info session. Students must be 18 years or older to participate in the program. Students must also speak English at an intermediate level or higher. Course fees apply.