Students have worked hard for several weeks to create their own TED talks. Winners from mini class-conferences move on to TEDxPaysonJuniorHigh to make their speeches available to the world!

Payson Jr High School
Payson, Utah, 84651
United States

Amelia Spencer

Amelia is an 8th grade student from Utah. She is exposed to testing constantly, and feels passionate about exposing the truth of testing and how it really does not help.

Ashlee Nelson

Ashlee is a seventh grader from Utah, She is also the youngest member of a family of eight children and three adults. She understands what it's like to love and struggle with family members

Blake Shappuis

Blake is an eighth grade student from Utah who enjoys writing and has been told he is pretty good at it--although he does have a little stage fright.

Brennan Jensen

Brennan is an 8th grade student-athlete from Utah. As an athlete and a general fan of sports, he wondered what happens when some of our favorite athletes retire, and examines that question in his TEDx talk.

Bubba Montgomery

Bubba is a seventh grade student in Utah. Ever since he was little, he has noticed how often yellow, blue, red and green were used together. He's wondered ever since, and took advantage of this opportunity to explore the topic.

Cole Mattson

Cole is an eighth grade student from Utah. He plays basketball and football and watches lots of sports, so he feels he is an expert on how math is used in sports.

Derek Wells

Derek is a seventh grade student in what used to be rural Utah. He sees the local farms vanishing before his eyes, and wants to change it.

Hayden Thompson-White

Hayden is a seventh grade student from Utah who loves to play video games. He has seem many benefits to playing video games, including boosting self-esteem, which inspired his talk.

Joslyn Openshaw

Joslyn is a 7th grade student from Utah. Her sister was born with only one arm, and because of this, has had to defend her against prejudgement her whole life.

Katherine Roberts

Katherine is a teenager from Utah. She often feels different--and through research she discovered that's totally normal!

Katie Callahan

Katie is a seventh grader who lives in Utah. She dances every day of the week for 3 hours at a time. She says, "I know a lot about dance and I love it but I know I still have some things to learn."

McKennah Watson

A seventh grader at in Utah, McKennah is well-spoken and well-researched. She sees people complaining all around her each day, and is determined to help people know how damaging it could be.

Merica Rowley

Merica is a 7th grade student in Utah. She is passionate about saving her rural home.

Mitchell Muhlestein

Mitchell Muhlestein is a little seventh grader who lives in Utah. He is qualified for this talk because his Honors English teacher told him he was. Not only does he have a really awesome dog, which is irrelevant, but he excels in making others laugh.

Olivia Dopp

Olivia is a seventh grade student from Utah. She has always heard people say stuff like, "You're a nerd," "She is a pop," etc. She pretends not to care, but her friend abandoned her for a different, more popular crowd, and she found out her sister was getting bullied by a more popular crowd in P.E., and she watched several kids purposefully mess with a substitute teacher. These experiences have inspired her to write and present this TED talk about labels.

Olivia Waite

Olivia is a 7th grade student in Utah, who is trying to defy stereotypes.

Paige Smith

Paige is an eighth grade student with dreams of her own, and she plans to achieve them.

Shelby Nelson

Shelby is a seventh grade student from Utah who loves to play games and have fun. She loves to babysit because of how much kids use their imaginations. She loves to use her imagination as well.

Shyla Speth

Shyla is a 7th grade student in Utah.

Sydney Jensen

Sydney Jensen is a 7th grader from Utah. She believes she is lucky to be where she is and who she is. And she won't take that for granted.

Tyleen Cisneros

Tyleen is a seventh grade student who lives in Utah. Tyleen sees many people around her in relationships, including her siblings, which talk incessantly about them. Tyleen wonders: Why do people feel like they need a relationship to be happy?