High school students from the Sandhills area deliver powerful performances as they compete for the opportunity to advance to the ESU National Competition in NYC. The ESU National Shakespeare Competition is a performance-based education program. High school students develop analytical and communication skills by performing Shakespeare at the school, community, and national levels. Since 1983 more than 360,000 students have brought the timeless works of Shakespeare to life.

Each spring over 100 students from area middle schools gather at the Sandhills Community College to compete. They are judged on each team’s ability to enunciate, present evidence, and refute the opposing teams arguments. This event is co-sponsored by the local Rotary Club of Pinehurst.

ESU Sandhills members gather several times each year for informative, educational, and entertaining evenings. Authors, historians, and interesting individuals from varied backgrounds join us for an evening of fine dining and intellectual enhancement.

ESU Sandhills members gather to discuss various aspects of Winston Churchill’s significant impact on global events in the 20th century.

The Sandhills Branch of the ESU joins with The Pinehurst Rotary to provide books for local schools.

Since 1957, the ESU has provided summer study abroad scholarships to middle and high school teachers at Oxford, Edinburgh and Shakespeare’s Globe in London.

The English Speaking Union offers a variety of scholarship programs for students, educators, and lifelong learners.

In response to the COVID-19 world, in July of 2020 ESU members got together to introduce the virtual Happy Hour Program, which has been met with resounding success. The Happy Hour Program brings guest speakers from locations all over the world, live and free of charge using the Zoom format. And to make it a real happy hour, a few of the speakers suggest signature cocktails to match the theme for the attendees to create and enjoy at home during their presentations. Many speakers also offer exciting participation opportunities with fun give-away books and products at the end of each program. All Happy Hour events are recorded and available for download to members and anyone interested to watch on-demand.

English in Action helps newcomers to the U.S. improve their English language skills and build confidence. Students and volunteers meet weekly for one-to-one conversation practice. At the heart of the program is a commitment to cross-cultural exchange. Students gain insight into life in the U.S. Volunteers learn about different cultures and support immigrants, refugees and other newcomers building new lives in this country.

The ESU’s middle and high school debate leagues provide students with the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills through public speaking at debate tournaments in the US throughout the academic year. Students from all over the world also have the opportunity to hone their skills during the International Public Speaking Competition in London.

The International Public Speaking Competition brings together outstandingly articulate young people from all over the world for a week of public speaking competition and international cultural exchange with the ESU of the Commonwealth in London. The finalist contestants meet and learn with their peers of different backgrounds and cultures from some 50 countries. Through all its qualifying levels, the program engages more than 40,000 young people globally.

This program is designed for students who express their love of Shakespeare through creative and analytical writing. It will consist of competitive and non-competitive writing events for high school students.

These renowned British and American speakers present programs on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to, current events, history, language, literature, art, architecture, and travel.