Optimist Club Holds Oratorical Contest

Earlier this week, the Optimist Club hosted an Oratorical Contest for students in grades 7-9! A total of 17 students stepped up on stage to participate in the event (including one surprise speech by Bryce Stevenson while the judges deliberated). The topic of the speech: “Discovering the Optimism Within Me.”



During the contest, participants were graded on the content, presentation, and length (with a target range of 3-5 minutes) of their message. After the grading was finalized, these students took home the top honors:

First Place - Jeremy Aldrich
Second Place - Cambria Stanton
Third Place - Rory Cawley



Congratulations to the winners, but also, to each and every other contestant who had the courage to put themselves out there in front of an audience. Public speaking is a task that doesn’t necessarily get easier as you get older!

A special thank you to Mattie Caughey for helping with the recruitment and support of this event, as well as Sue Bang, Lindsey Stupp, and Scott Gates for judging the competition, and Maria Edwards for organizing it.