High school students in grades 9 through 12, enrolled in public, private, or parochial schools, or those who are home-schooled, are invited to compete in the 2012 American Legion National High School Oratorical Scholarship Program, a constitutional speaking contest.
Students will compete in a local Legion Post contest and the winner will go on to compete in that area’s district contest. The district winner will then advance to the state finals. The Department winner will represent Maine in the national contest in Indianapolis in April 2012. The national organization will provide funding for round-trip tickets, two nights at a hotel and daily allowances for both the contestant and a chaperone over 21 years of age.
The primary purpose of the contest is to instill in students a better knowledge and appreciation of the United States Constitution.
Students who compete in the contests have the opportunity of receiving money awards toward their future school endeavors. Local American Legion Posts awards will be determined by the individual location, and the district awards by the various districts. On the state level, the first-place winner will receive $1,000; second-place $500; third-place $300; fourth-place, $200 and sixth-place, $150 each.
Participants competing in the national contest will receive a $1,500 scholarship for competing in the first round of the contest. Each first-found winner who participates in the second-round of the contest, but does not win, will receive another $1,500 scholarship. The final three winners will compete for the first place prize of $18,000; second-place prize of $16,000; or third-place prize of $14,000.
The two portions of the contest include prepared oration and assigned topic discourse. The subject in the oration must be about some phase of the Constitution of the United States, emphasizing the duties and obligations of a citizen to the United States government. The portion shall not be less than eight minutes or more than 10 minutes in length.
The assigned topic discourse will be one of the four listed in the rules and regulations, selected from the Articles and Sections of the constitution and presented in no less than three or more than five minutes. Contestants may use one of the four assigned topics as the basis of his/her prepared orations. There are point penalties for being over or under the time limitations.
Post contest dates and times are designated by the individual Posts but must be held before its district contest in January. The state contest will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5 in the Thomas College auditorium in Waterville.
For more information about the oratorical contest in Maine, contact a local American Legion Post or the American legion Department Headquarters at 873-3229; on-line at mainelegion.org or e-mail to Department Chairman Ramona Naragon at thnraven@roadrunner.com.
