December 5, 2025 - This year’s Comal Speaks champion is a seventh-grade student from Church Hill Middle School. The Comal Independent School District started the contest nine years ago to challenge middle school students to prepare and present speeches to judges on topics related to important character traits.
The 2025 district champion, Dawson Szanto, 13, won the competition with his speech regarding confidence.
“My mom and dad have always instilled confidence in me,” says Szanto whose mother, Amey Szanto, teaches theatre at CHMS. “I felt like I did pretty well, but I was a bit surprised that I won.”
As a new student in Comal ISD, this was Szanto’s first time to participate in Comal Speaks, but he is comfortable speaking in front of others. His go-to strategy is something he learned from his fifth-grade English teacher. The strategy is to start with an introduction; provide three points with examples; and tie it together with a conclusion.
The self-proclaimed perfectionist is involved in many activities including basketball, football, chess, acting and choir. He says that contests like Comal Speaks help students build confidence and learn valuable lessons which will be used throughout their lives.
For the contest, students are given three minutes to prepare their responses on topics that relate to the Comal Commitment character traits and three minutes to present their speeches to a panel of judges. The character traits include responsibility, respect, judgment, honesty, integrity, courtesy, confidence, teamwork, empathy and perseverance.
This year’s judges were Krista Moffatt, assistant superintendent of teaching, learning and leadership; Julie Cronkhite, executive director of school leadership and accountability; Dr. Ben Peacock, director of secondary leadership; and Gaby Torres, director of multilingual education.
Comal Speaks began as a way to continue the interest students had in the Comal Shake competition which begins in elementary schools. Many of the students who compete in Comal Speaks competed as elementary students in the Shake contest and are excited to continue to use the character traits in middle school.
Two students from each middle school advance to the final district competition.
Comal Speaks Finalists
- Bulverde Middle School: Avery Brown and Calvin Stevenson
- Canyon Middle School: Ellis Roberts and Skye Sparks
- Church Hill Middle School: Dawson Szanto and Elizabeth Winters
- Danville Middle School: Adeline Doss and Riley Moreno
- Mountain Valley Middle School: Vivian Unger and Stella Talley
- Pieper Ranch Middle School: Emma Golden and Jocelyn Holton
- Smithson Valley Middle School: Ella LeBlanc and Kaydence Johnson
- Spring Branch Middle School: Tzipora Criswell and Max Doll
Photo Descriptions
-Dawson Szanto, a seventh-grade student from Church Hill Middle School, is this year’s Comal Speaks district champion.
-This year’s Comal Speaks finalists are pictured here. Back row from left is Ellis Roberts from Canyon Middle School, Emma Golden from Pieper Ranch Middle School, Jocelyn Holton from PRMS, Riley Moreno from Danville Middle School, Calvin Stevenson from Bulverde Middle School, Stella Talley from Mountain Valley Middle School, Elizabeth Winters from Church Hill Middle School, Max Doll from Spring Branch Middle School, Vivian Unger from MVMS and Dr. Ben Peacock, director of secondary leadership. Front row from left is Krista Moffatt, assistant superintendent of teaching, learning and leadership; Julie Cronkhite, executive director of school leadership and accountability; Dawson Szanto from CHMS, Skye Sparks from Canyon Middle School, Adeline Doss from DMS, Avery Brown from BMS, Kaydence Johnson from Smithson Valley Middle School, Ella LeBlanc from SVMS, Tzipora Criswell from SBMS and Gaby Torres, director of multilingual education.
-Comal Speaks judges and district champion pictured from left: Dr. Ben Peacock, director of secondary leadership; Julie Cronkhite, executive director of school leadership and accountability; Dawson Szanto, seventh-grade student and Comal Speaks champion from Church Hill Middle School; Krista Moffatt, assistant superintendent of teaching, learning and leadership; and Gaby Torres, director of multilingual education.