The American Legion, Dept. of Maine
Congratulates Victoria Schalk of Sabattus,
representing District 3 as the
2013 State Oratorical Winner
CONGRATULATIONS VICTORIA!!!
Click here to read more about the 2013 HS Oratorical Contest
Location: Thomas College, Waterville
Date: February 16, 2013
Time: 9:00 a.m.
The main purpose of The High School Oratorical Scholarship Program is to develop a deeper knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution of the United States on the part of high school students. Other objectives of the contest include the development of leadership qualities, the ability to think and speak clearly and intelligently, and the preparation for acceptance of the duties and responsibilities, the rights and privileges of American citizenship.
This contest is for students who welcome learning... For the student who looks for an academic challenge and an opportunity to gain scholarship monies, The American Legion's High School Oratorical Scholarship Program is a natural fit. Students learn valuable information about our country's Constitution in a contest that has been held by The American Legion for more than 65 years.
Who is Eligible to Participate?
You are eligible to participate in The American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program if you are a citizen or a lawful resident of the United States. Further, all contestants must be bona fide students under the age of 20 years on the date of the National program and must be enrolled in a high school or junior high school in which the curriculum of the high school is considered to be of high school level, commencing with grade nine and terminating with grade twelve. Students must be enrolled in high school or junior high school during the time of participation at any level of the Oratorical Program.
The Prepared Oration: The subject to be used for the Prepared Oration must be some aspect of the Constitution of the United States with emphasis on the duties and obligations of a citizen to our government. The same subject and oration used in the Department Contest must be used in the National Contest.
The prepared oration must be the original effort of each contestant and must not take up less than eight minutes or more than ten minutes for delivery. It must be delivered in the English language.
The Assigned Topic: The purpose of the Assigned Topic is to test the speaker's knowledge of the subject, the extent of his or her research, and the ability to discuss the topic as related to the basic principles of government under the Constitution. The topic will be on some phase of the Constitution of the United States.
The assigned topic must take no less than three minutes and must not exceed five minutes for time of delivery. Each year, the list of Assigned Topics will be made available prior to the contest and posted on the Legion web site at www.legion.org.
State Level Prizes Awarded: Students who compete in the contests have the opportunity of receiving money awards toward their future school endeavors. Local Legion Post awards will be determined by the individual Posts, and the district awards by the various districts. On the state level, the first place winner will receive $1,000, second place $500 and third place $300. See below for State Oratorical Winners.
National Level Scholarships Awarded: Scholarship awards are presented to the three finalists in the Final Round of the National Program as follows: 1st Place -$18,000; 2nd Place -$16,000; 3rd Place -$14,000. Each Department (State) winner who is certified into and participates in the first round of the National Program will receive a $1,500 scholarship. Each first round winner who advances to and participates in the second round, but does not advance to the Final Round, will receive and additional $1,500 scholarship to pursue education beyond high school.
The Scholarships awarded by the National Organization of The American Legion may be used to attend any college or university in the United States. Funds for the scholarships awarded by the National Organization are provided by the American Legion Life Insurance Fund.
National Finals: Tentative Date of April 19-21, 2013
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
More Information
For more information about the Oratorical Contest in Maine, please contact your local Legion Post, the American Legion Department Headquarters at 873-3229, or e-mail Department Chairman Tommy Adkins at tomadkins@myfairpoint.net or click here and check out the State and Local Oratorical Contests of National's Web site.
Click on links below for Official Rules and Promotional Brochure:
Official Rules for The American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program:
Oratorical Promotional Brochure:
2013 State Oratorical Winners
First Place: Victoria Schalk - Sabattus- representing District 3
Second Place: Rebecca Richards of East Winthrop, our winner from “2012” and representing District 9
Third Place: Morgan Thies of Pittsfield, representing District 10
2012 State Oratorical Winners
First Place: Rebecca Richards of Winthrop - Home-schooled sophomore
Second Place: Jack Gentempo - Oxford Hills HS freshman
Third Place: Dave Russell, Jr. - Wisdom HS freshman
Fourth Place: Deziray Pyrdeck - Lisbon HS junior
2011 State Oratorical Winners:
First Place: Kelly Thomas of Standish - Cheverus HS senior
Second Place: Tabatha Hawkins - Oxford Hills HS senior
Third Place: Kate Ciampa of Castine - Home-schooled senior
Fourth Place: Victoria James of Lisbon - Home-schooled junior
Fifth Place tie between: Esther Riddle-Winslow - Van Buren HS freshman and
Douglas Haislet of Brownville - Home-schooled sophomore
2010 State Oratorical Winner:
Read what 2010 state winner Renata Schalk had to say about the American Legion Oratorical Contest by clicking on the article For the love of words and country written by Kathryn Skelton, Staff Writer, Lewiston Sun-Journal, July18, 2010.
What topics do contestants speak on?
