A group of students gather around and enjoy hot chocolate at the Speechie Christmas Tree Lighting
Ouachita women who are pursuing careers in speech pathology are referred to lovingly as Speechies. In order to be considered a Speechie, a female student must be majoring in communication sciences and disorders. The Speechies have quite the presence on campus, and one of the ways they solidify that presence is with one of their annual events: The Speechie Christmas Tree Lighting.
Students watch on as the Christmas tree is lit up.
Each year, the Speechies ask Ouachita students to donate children’s books that will be given to children they work with for Christmas. These children are in the community of Arkadelphia as well as in other towns the Speechies work in, including Hot Springs, Gurdon, and Malvern. To top off the donations, the Speechies light up the Christmas tree near the International Flag Plaza and serve free hot chocolate to students.
The Christmas tree, near the Flag Plaza, is lit up every year as the Speechies serve hot chocolate.
So, what do the donations and the tree lighting mean to the Speechies? Three of them spoke with us on Thursday to talk about why the event is important, and why Ouachita students’ book donations matter to the children the Speechies work with.
Photo credits: Matthew Ablon
