Even in hard times, there is always something to look forward to, something to be hopeful about. Together, the Clarkston Optimist’s Club and local students thought about the future and potential it holds as part of the 17th annual Oratorical Contest on March 16.
More students participated this yea than at any prior oratorical contest. Of the 52 contests, 35 were students from Sashabaw Middle School.
Each student gave a four to 5 minute speech based on certain rules and requirement with the theme ‘My future is bright because…? Each speech is evaluated on a 100-point scale used to determine final ranking.
During the March 16 competition medals were awarded to three boys and three girls in the top club spots, with the top boy and girl moving on to the regional competition in Clinton Twp. on April 1.
In the club competition, the top three girls are Ellyn Gray (bronze), Nicole Otenbaker (silver) and Erin Gray (gold).
The top three boys are Jarret Coy (bronze), Richard Peake III (silver) and Drew Hopper (Gold).
Both Gray and Hopper competed and won at the regional competition against students from six different clubs. Both students are now eligible to compete at the district competition on May 20 in Holland. By competing in the district competition, the students are eligible for scholarship awards of $1,500 each.
The Clarkston News would like to congratulate these students for their hard work and wish Gray and Hopper luck at the next round of competition.