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State Oratorical Contest a Success |
| Posted on Feb 28 2008 |
State Oratorical Contest a Success
Contestants, family, friends and legionnaires traveled from all corners of Maine for The American Legion Oratorical Contest on Saturday, February 16th at Thomas College in Waterville. William Nelligan a junior from Casco Bay High School won the contest delivering nearly flawless orations on the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.Williams’ oration entitled Freedom of Expression captivated the audience in the Thomas College auditorium and brought him a first-place gold medal and a check for $1,000. Additionally he will be Maine’s representative to the National Oratorical Contest to be held at the Purdue/Indiana University Conference Center in April in Indianapolis, Ind. Eric Sanborn a senior from Penquis High School took second place honors earning a silver medal and $500.Oratorical Chairman Bill Barr of Lisbon Falls Post 66 orchestrated another successful contest. Bill has dedicated months of his time coordinating the contest, arranging for judges, escorts and timekeepers. This year’s contest began in the morning with the semi-final round. Contestants were divided into two brackets; the Eastern bracket moderated by George Bean of Augusta Post 205 and the Western bracket moderated by Jeff Barnes of Ellsworth Post 63. Contestants were from York, Cumberland, Androscoggin, Kennebec, Piscataquis and Washington Counties, competing for a position in the final round in the afternoon. Chairman Barr praised the efforts of everyone involved in the contest. Particularly noteworthy was the cooperation and assistance provided by Mikaela Foster of Thomas College who seemed to be everywhere when changes or adjustments were needed.The National High School Oratorical Contest, sponsored since 1938 by the American Legion, is designed to instill a greater knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution of the United States in high school students. Other objectives include the development of leadership, the ability to think and speak clearly and the preparation for the acceptance of the duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges of American citizenship. Each contestant must give an eight to ten minute prepared oration on some phase of the United States Constitution, giving emphasis on the duties and obligations of a citizen to his/her government. Contests are open to all high school students.Each state winner who competes in the first round of the National contest will receive a $1,500 scholarship. Participants in the second round, who do not advance to the National final round, will receive an additional $1,500 scholarship. The top three youth orators who have won all previous elimination rounds of the contest will vie for top honors in the National contest on April 21-23, 2008, at the IUPUI Conference Center and Hotel, Indianapolis, Ind. In addition to the awards by winners of the various elimination rounds of competition, university scholarships of $18,000, $16,000, and $14,000 will be awarded to the first through third places in the National finals. The American Legion pays the expenses for contestants and one chaperone or coach per contestant.
