High school students can participate
in American Legion contest
High school students in grades nine to 12, of public schools, private schools, parochial schools and home-schooled, are invited to compete in the 2012 American Legion National High School Oratorical Scholarship Program, a constitutional speech contest.
Students will compete in a local Legion Post contest and the winner will compete in that area’s district contest. The district winner will advance to the state finals. The Department winner will represent Maine in the national contest in Indianapolis in April 2012, with the national organization funding round-trip tickets, two nights at the 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 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; third place, $300; fourth place, $200; fifth and sixth place, $150 each.
Students who compete in the national contest will receive a $1,500 scholarship for competing in the first round of the contest. Each first round 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 oration. 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., Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012, in Thomas College Auditorium, Waterville.
For more information about the oratorical contest in Maine, contact a local post or the American Legion Department Headquarters at 873-3229 or online at www.mainelegion.org, or email Department Chairman Ramona Naragon at thnraven@roadrunner.com.
