Photo: This year’s Best of the Best finalists. From left to right: Mrs. Theresa Long, Philip Benyo, Andrew Pedri, Ethan Ungemach, and Mrs. Katherine Zucco.

MMI Preparatory School’s Head of School, Mrs. Theresa Long, is proud to announce that Andrew Pedri ’28 has been chosen by the faculty as the winner of this year’s prestigious Best of the Best student assembly competition. Andrew, along with finalists Ethan Ungemach ’29 and Philip Benyo ’27, demonstrated exceptional skill and excellence in public speaking. He earned this honor with an outstanding presentation to the entire student body and faculty last week on the topic of multitasking.

The MMI Student Assembly Program follows a structured schedule throughout the year and is a required part of the School’s curriculum. Students in 10th and 11th grade deliver in-person presentations to their peers in the cafeteria in October, while 9th-grade students present in the cafeteria in November. Middle School students in grades 6–8 give their presentations within their grade-level Workshop classes in January. Seniors complete a Capstone Project that synthesizes their entire academic experience at MMI and includes a live oral presentation, which they deliver during MMI’s Open House on Sunday, March 22. 

The Best of the Best competition is the culminating event of MMI’s Student Assembly Program, which is designed to foster confident, articulate, and engaging young leaders. The program challenges students to craft compelling narratives, conduct relevant research, integrate multimedia tools effectively, and deliver speeches with confidence and poise.

“Our Student Assembly Program provides MMI students with an opportunity to develop and showcase their presentation skills in front of a large, but supportive, audience,” said Mrs. Long. “While it has changed and evolved over the years, alumni continually remember this time-honored tradition as one that helped them to develop skills that set them apart in their college and professional careers.”

In order to qualify for Best of the Best, students must earn an “Excellent” rating on their assembly earlier in the academic year. Those who presented at Best of the Best achieved the highest point values within the Excellent rating, and represent the top assemblies given at the 9th, 10th, and 11th grade levels.

In an address to the entire school, Mrs. Katherine Zucco, advisor to the MMI Student Assembly Program, emphasized the importance of this annual event: “We gather together as one School community for something that represents the very best of who we are and what we value: the MMI Student Assembly Program. It’s more than a speaking assignment. It is an opportunity to research deeply, think critically, stand confidently, and share ideas with one another. It asks each of you to find your voice and then use it with purpose.”