The Optimist Club of Brookings is encouraging area students to speak their minds about the topic How to Change the World with Optimism as part of the Optimist International Oratorical Contest for the 2023-24 year.
The Optimist Club will judge the local students speeches based on content and presentation to determine the top winners. Winners will receive cash awards and medallions and the winning speeches will be sent to the Zone level, and possibly the District level for the opportunity to win college scholarships. Winners of the District level will be eligible to compete in a regional competition in St. Louis, Missouri, at Saint Louis University.
Winners of the regional contests will compete in the World Championship also held at Saint Louis University. Students could possibly win up to $22,500 in scholarships.
The contest is open to students under the age of 19 as of Oct. 1, 2018.
As they prepare for their future, many of our local students need experience expressing their thoughts and opinions to an audience, Club President Jan Stange said. The Oratorical Contest challenges them to do just that and also offers an opportunity for scholarships. In this way, our club hopes to bring out the best in each of them and help them achieve their goals for the future.
The deadline to hand in speeches is March 4, with the local contest on March 9. Students wishing to participate in the oratorical contest can find out more about the contest by contacting Dee Bormann at 605-695-9955
The Optimist Club of Brookings has been participating in the Optimist Oratorical Contest for many years and has been active in the community since 1972. Other programs and service projects that the Club is involved in include the Trout Extravaganza, Kite Festival and Avenue of Flags.
To learn more about Optimist International, call 314-371-6000 or visit the organizations website at www.optimist.org.
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