Students from the Moakley Public Speaking Institute shared a laugh as they thanked their instructors at the conclusion of their August 20, 2009 banquet. Eighteen high school students from Boston and Revere participated in a nine-day program at the Kennedy Library where they learned the techniques necessary to write and deliver an effective persuasive speech. At the culminating banquet, attended by 80 guests, students delivered speeches on topics such as gang violence, environmental injustice, the media’s presentation of unhealthy body images, and racial profiling.