Bellarmine Speech League
St. Joseph students in fifth through eighth Grade may
participate in the Bellarmine Speech League. Practices are
held after school. Students participate in meets along with
students from Catholic Schools throughout the Archdiocese of St.
Louis.
The Bellarmine Speech League was founded in 1945 by Father A.
Frances Coomes, a teacher at Saint Louis University High
School. Annually, hundreds of judges and coaches volunteer
their time to guide students to become skilled, confident public
speakers. The league is intended to help students in grades 5-8
develop and improve their public speaking skills by delivering
memorized material of a serious or humorous nature, either
individually or in duet. Students compete in three meets
annually, at the end of which are awarded ribbons based on
participants' scores.