RPA students produce their own TEDEd Talks

Kate West giving her TED Talk at RPA’s McClay Center for the Performing Arts.

Last month, students in business instructor Sandy Cloud’s TEDEd class developed and filmed their own TEDEd Talks at Redmond Proficiency Academy’s McClay Center for the Performing Arts.    

TED Talks have become popular over the past several years with their focus on spreading ideas in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). The TEDEd Student Talks Program supports students as they discover, explore and present their big ideas in the form of a TED-style talk.

“This was RPA’s first opportunity to offer a TEDEd Class, and two students took up the challenge of creating their own TEDEd talks,” Cloud said  “We were all nervous at first, but as we worked through the process, I was absolutely floored at their maturity and the logic and heart they applied to crafting their stories. Their goal was to help people understand a topic in a new way, and they absolutely helped me do that. I hope others watch and learn from them as well.”

Available to a wide audience on the TEDEd website, Sophomore Ty Love’s TED Talk titled, “Going For Your Dream and Going For Failure” speaks to rekindling one’s dream and walking towards it no matter where you are in life. 

Junior Kate West’s TED Talk, “Representation Saves Lives”, discusses LGBTQ youth being at higher risk for mental illness and suicide and explores everyday representation and its positive impact on young people’s sense of self.