Talking Leaves T-Shirt

Talking Leaves honors our namesake, Sequoyah, who, upon seeing non-indigenous soldiers reading letters from home (which he called “talking leaves”) developed the Cherokee system of written language for his own people. Twice each year, high school students present a culminating essay and oral presentation modeled after a thesis defense to their peers, a faculty committee, parents, and other invited guests. Students explore and analyze a chosen topic based on a meaningful intellectual experience and reflect on its role in their growth as scholars. Talking Leaves both explores and celebrates a student's academic growth and provides opportunities for them to present and lead intellectual discourse.