West Hartford resident Apara Kashyap won the interpretive reading contest at Kingswood Oxford School.

The winner and finalists of KO’s Speakers Forum, an interpretive reading competition, were (from left, in the order in which they finished) Apara Kashyak, Olivia Rossi, Phoebe Taylor, Abby Eberle, and Mark Place. Photo credit: Michelle M. Murphy

Submitted by Michelle M. Murphy, Kingswood Oxford School

For 28 years, it’s been a rite of passage for sophomores at Kingswood Oxford School – and this year was no different.

On Apr. 22, a panel of judges declared Apara Kashyap of West Hartford (far left in photo) the winner of the Speakers’ Forum, an interpretive reading competition in which every sophomore English student participates. During an Upper School assembly that morning, she read Sara Zarr’s “This Is My Audition Monologue.”

The other finalists and their selections were:

• Olivia Rossi of Middle Haddam, “Appearance” by Kate Peterson – 1^st runner-up
• Phoebe Taylor of Glastonbury, Afterwards by Scott Westerfeld – 2^nd runner-up
• Abby Eberle of Burlington, “Love is Not a Pie” by Amy Bloom – 3^rd runner-up
• Mark Place of South Glastonbury, Forrest Gump by Winston Groom – 4^th runner-up

The semifinalists were Will Appleton of Farmington, Ellie Bavier of West Hartford, Natalie Eckert of Avon, Prithvi Gunturu of South Windsor, Julia Lantieri of Glastonbury, Holly Lombardi of Southington, and Surya Ram of South Windsor.

The KO Speakers’ Forum was founded by retired KO English teacher and Forensic Union advisor Robert Googins, who taught at KO for more than 40 years.

The preeminent independent co-ed day school in Greater Hartford, Kingswood Oxford School is located just steps from Blue Back Square and West Hartford Center. Its 508 students come from 62 towns in CT and western MA, as well as China and South Korea.

For enrollment information or to arrange an interview and tour, contact the Admissions Office at 860-727-5000 or [email protected].