Theme: Radiate (2016)

TEDxYouth@CEHS aims to inspire, encourage and awaken Cape Elizabeth High School students by presenting speakers with experiences and stories that offer new ways of creating a joyful, purposeful life. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to spark ideas, discussion and connections.

Cape Elizabeth High School
345 Ocean House Road
Cape Elizabeth, Maine, 04107
United States

Student Planning Team

Produced by Abby Caswell, Matt Galvin, Christie Gillies, Katie Gilman, Catherine Morrissey.

Amelia Melanson & Pat Macdonald

Student Performer, Author

Amelia Melanson is a senior at Cape Elizabeth High School. She is captain of the Extemporaneous Speech Team and a Model UN participant. In the summer, Amelia works at Maine Squeeze, coaches debate at the Boys and Girls Club, and runs Rock Wall Lane Camp. She also enjoys hiking. Pat Macdonald is a senior at Cape Elizabeth High School. He has been writing satires, short stories, and screenplays since eleventh grade. Outside of writing, Pat enjoys watching and making movies, playing golf and baseball. He values all forms of expression, from visual art and music to filmmaking and creative writing.

Anna Lombard McGeachey

Musician, Singer, Songwriter

Anna Lombard’s debut album, Head Full Of Bells, is a powerful meditation on love, loss and ultimately, redemption. Drawing influence from artists including Aimee Mann and Susan Tedeschi, Head Full Of Bells introduces Lombard as a gifted young singer of impressive strength. Sharing stages with the likes of John Fogerty, Ray Lamontagne, Guster, Aaron Neville, John Popper, and Eric Krasno, Anna Lombard’s live performance gives passionate life to her studio precision. A magnetic presence of undeniable charisma, Lombard possesses a heart, soul and swagger that make her not only someone to hear but something to experience.

Declan McCormick

Student Speaker, Cape Elizabeth High School Senior

Declan is a senior at Cape Elizabeth High School. He plays the upright bass in multiple school jazz bands and is playing in this year's All State Jazz Combo. He enjoys playing tennis and is a member of the Natural Helper program. Outside of school, he enjoys fishing, hiking, sledding, listening to music and hanging out with friends. After high school, he plans to go to college and get a degree in Wildlife Biology and track populations of species.

Eric Axelman & Taylor Lomba

Hip Hop Artist, Educator, Filmmaker

Eric Axelman is a Hip Hop artist, educator, and filmmaker committed to starting and maintaining conversations with young people about the complexities of identity, privilege, and power in the United States. He just released his solo debut album, ‘Too Much,’ and is the executive director of Pushed Learning and Media. Originally from Norridgewock, Maine, Eric divides his time between Boston and Providence. He is joined by Taylor Travassos-Lomba, a world record holding breakdancer (most backspins), as well as a college level dance teacher at Bridgewater State University. He’s been teaching breakdancing for the past 6 years across New England, and competes at the national level. He graduated with a degree in philosophy from Brown University, and has done extensive work linking Hip Hop to social justice causes in the US.Hip Hop

Julia Hansen

Founder, Yellow Tulip Project

Julia considers herself a fearless learner. Trying to make a difference in this hectic yet beautiful world energizes her. She loves diving into the unknown and finding the constellations of small details that make up peoples’ lives. During Julia’s sophomore year of high school, she lost her two closest friends to suicide. While struggling with her own depression, she had to cope with the loss of these two incredible people. Because of this, she created The Yellow Tulip Project, which is. Because of this, she created The Yellow Tulip Project, which is meant to smash the stigma associated with mental illness, and remind people that even in the darkest places, there really is always hope. This is a message she hopes to spread so no one ever has to feel alone.

Katie Gilman & Molly Williams

Student Performer, Dance

Katie Gilman and Molly Williams, both sixteen-year-olds, have been dancing for ten years at Casco Bay Movers in Portland. Katie is a student here at Cape and Molly at Freeport High School. They have had a love for hip hop since before they can remember and were part of the original Crew, Dynamix, formed in 2012, a section of Portland youth dance company. Molly and Katie have been performing together as a duo since they met and hope to spread their love for music and dance through hip hop.

Kevin Oates

Musician & Educator

Kevin Oates (KØ) is an educator, conductor, cellist, composer and passionate entrepreneur looking to revolutionize music education while improving students lives through music. Based out of Portland, Kevin brings middle and high school students to work with artists such as Gregory Alan Isakov, Kishi Bashi, The Ballroom Thieves, Vanna, Darlingside, Tall Heights and Spose, while reinforcing the importance of being confident in yourself and your self-expression, both on and off the stage. In 2014 Kevin founded Maine Youth Rock Orchestra (MYRO), a non-profit organization that provides orchestral students of all ages educational opportunities to work alongside and perform with national bands and artists. His vision is to start youth rock orchestras in every state over the next 20 years, adding new opportunities for students to express themselves through the music they love while reinforcing classical technique. Kevin will be releasing two books in 2017; Rock the Classroom for teachers and

Kim Knauft

Student Performer, Singer

Captivating musical performance by Kim Knauft, a sophomore at Cape Elizabeth High School with a passion for music. She is in the school choir and loves sharing music and using it to create community.

Matthew Colaciello

Cultural Educator

At 16, he began traveling abroad and never stopped. Today, he speaks five languages and has friends on five continents. His firsthand experience as a student in the world instilled a passion for cross-cultural education. During his 20s, Matt studied in a monastery in India, sparking his enduring love for Buddhist philosophy and South Asian history, languages, and cultures. He was awarded the Global Engagement Fellowship to spend a year working for the Navdanya Research Foundation in New Delhi, a grassroots NGO headed by environmental activist Dr. Vandana Shiva. He then led study abroad programs for American students in remote parts of India and Indonesia, continuing to build enduring relationships with those at the forefront of the social and environmental movements. Upon his return to the U.S, Matt founded The Global Workshop to inspire a new generation of compassionate, critically-engaged g

Max & Jack Barber

Entrepreneurs

Mainely Burgers, now in its fifth year, is owned and operated by brothers and CEHS graduates Jack and Max Barber. Jack is a 2016 graduate of Babson College, and Max is in his senior year at Babson. Until this summer, Mainely Burgers consisted of three food trucks: two burger trucks and one ice cream truck, aptly named Mainely Treats. This year Jack and Max opened their first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Cambridge to share the Maine vibe they so love, in addition to awesome burger recipes like “The Mainah.” They literally brought some Maine with them to Cambridge—all of the wood in the restaurant is from the Penobscot River. The logo and mural design was created by Adam Danielson, also a CEHS graduate. Mainely Burgers is a little slice of Maine located at 704 Mass Avenue in Cambridge.

Michelle Neujahr

Motivational Speaker

Michelle is a motivational speaker and business coach and consultant with many years of experience in sales, marketing, and running her own business. She is also the author of "Hey Girlfriend, Live Passionately Real". Michelle currently serves as Director of the Entrepreneurial Center at Southern Maine Community College, where she teaches entrepreneurship and works with student business owners. She has a BA from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from the University of Southern Maine. Michelle is a wife, mother of three, grandmother of one, entrepreneur and a lover of chocolate. She’s passionate about helping people and businesses grow.

Molly Williams

Student Performer, Dance

Katie Gilman and Molly Williams, both sixteen-year-olds, have been dancing for ten years at Casco Bay Movers in Portland. Katie is a student here at Cape and Molly at Freeport High School. They have had a love for hip hop since before they can remember and were part of the original Crew, Dynamix, formed in 2012, a section of Portland youth dance company. Molly and Katie have been performing together as a duo since they met and hope to spread their love for music and dance through hip hop.

Patrick Macdonald

Student Performer, Author

Pat Macdonald is a senior at Cape Elizabeth High School. He has been writing satires, short stories, and screenplays since eleventh grade. Outside of writing, Pat enjoys watching and making movies, playing golf and baseball. He values all forms of expression, from visual art and music to filmmaking and creative writing.

Quang Nguyen

Activist Entrepreneur

Quang Nguyen is a successful entrepreneur and former SMCC student. Originally from Vietnam, Quang moved to Maine in 2007 to pursue a degree in Business Administration at SMCC, where his involvement in school activities earned him the nickname “Mr. SMCC.” In addition to maintaining a 3.8 GPA while working 50 hours a week, Quang led the International Student Group and was vice president of both the Student Senate and the Phi Theta Kappa honor society of New England. In addition to his entrepreneurial work, Quang volunteers his time to help Maine’s Vietnamese community with insurance and financial planning, home purchasing and language barriers. He also helped establish Maine’s first Vietnamese Buddhist temple, which regularly gathers more than 200 people in the community to worship and celebrate Vietnamese culture.

Taylor Travassos-Lomba

Breakdancer & College Dance Instructor

Taylor Travassos-Lomba is a world record holding breakdancer (most backspins), as well as a college level dance teacher at Bridgewater State University. He’s been teaching breakdancing for the past 6 years across New England, and competes at the national level. He graduated with a degree in philosophy from Brown University, and has done extensive work linking Hip Hop to social justice causes in the US.

Tyson Weems

Health & Fitness Advocate

Tyson Weems is the founder of 3D Health, a Portland-based non-profit. He also created the group’s project, The 3D Health Alliance. Its mission is to build a movement to promote personal, community, and environmental health (aka 3D Health). Strategies include giving live presentations and providing curriculum to help people design personal health and service projects. Tyson grew up in Hallowell and Brunswick, Maine. He majored in sociology and environmental studies at Bowdoin College then earned a masters in health and human development at Montana State. He’s played and coached individual, team, and adventure sports and teaches at CrossFit Beacon in Portland, Maine. Tyson also plays music professionally, does freelance graphic design work, and substitute teaches for Grades 6–12.