Jerome Alexander prepared himself as much as he could to take the podium, but could not prepare for his performance.

Only as he began to make his way to the front of the audience was he given his topic: “Does an eye for an eye make you blind.”

“I had about 30 seconds,” said Alexander, an East St. John High School senior. “Then I just knew what I was going to say.”

Alexander performed beautifully, according to Juanea Butler, the East St. John speech teacher who has reorganized the school’s speech and debate team this year.

On Dec. 20, she helped put together a Community Showcase, which allowed the team to showcase its many talents.

Alexander, who also serves as president of the club, handled the extemporaneous speaking. That’s where the speaker is given a topic and must give an impromptu speech.

Javia Carter, Javohn Washington and Myal Pettigrew showed off their dramatic interpretive skills. Ja’Cora Collins and Pettigrew handle the poetry reading.

Daniel Edwards is the master of original oratory speech.

All of them show exceptional talent.

When it comes to the actual debating, however, well, the East St. John team may hold its own debate over who excels.

Maybe it’s Austin Scioneaux or Gonzalo Martinez. It could be Torre Davis or Derrionne Walker.

Then again, perhaps they’re all good.

“We have no best on our team,” Collins said. “We’re all equally great.”

Butler, who has taught at the school for eight years, would agree with that assessment.

After years of teaching Speech I at the school, covering just the basics, Speech II was added to the curriculum this year.

“That includes more of the debate and oratory parts,” Butler said.

That spurred her to revive the team, which has been dormant for many years.

“There hasn’t been one in decades,” she said.

The team is a member of the Louisiana High School Speech League, which holds competitions throughout the year but hasn’t taken part in any of the competitions just yet.

Butler said her new team wasn’t quite ready for that. Instead, she put together the showcase for her students just before the Christmas holidays. Students from Lake Pontchartrain Elementary and East St. John Elementary schools were invited, which included a toy giveaway.

Fellow teacher Major Flowers served as the master of ceremonies and moderator.

“They put in so much work and it was great to see,” Flowers said. “I was surprised they sounded so adult-like. We were very impressed.”

Carter, a junior, said she has always liked talking and she writes poetry.

“It’s something I can relate to,” she said.

Walker joined for similar reasons.

“I like to fuss,” she said. “I like to get my point across. When I’m right, I’m right and even when I’m wrong, I’m right.”

While defending a position is easy, several members found out it’s not so easy to argue a position you don’t necessarily agree with.

“It’s not easy, but it’s a process,” said Davis, who had to argue for the death penalty. “I wanted to be against it but I had to defend it. When you’ve got to, you’ve got to. You just say, ‘This is your time to shine.’”

Butler said she believes this is the start of something wonderful for her students.

“I am just so proud of them, I am on cloud 10,” she said. “I think it gives them an opportunity to think and to get their point across with a purpose. It shows they care.”