Greene County senior Payton Wadsworth will advance to the department (state) finals in the American Legion High School Oratorical Contest, having placed first in an Area contest Jan. 12 in Carroll.
She will compete against two other orators in the department finals Feb. 16 in Des Moines. There, the first place winner will receive a $2,000 college scholarship, the second place winner will receive a $1,500 scholarship, and the third place winner will receive $1,000 scholarship. Wadsworth has already received $700 in scholarships through the contest.
The department finals winner will advance to the national finals at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI, in May. That contest awards college scholarships in the amount of $25,000 to the first place winner, $22,500 to the second place winner, and $20,000 to the third place winner.
Participants in the oratorical contest present from memory an 8-10 minute speech they have written on any part of the U.S. Constitution. They also then prepare and present a 3-5 minute speech on a topic selected that day by contest officials. This year the assigned topic will be selected from the First, Seventh, Eighteenth, and Twenty-sixth Amendments. Participants have five minutes to prepare a speech that demonstrates his or her knowledge of the subject, the extent of their research, and their ability to discuss the topic as it relates to the basic principles of government under the Constitution.
Barb Labate is American Legion Post 11 contest chair. According to Labate, most American Legions posts are seeing fewer and fewer participants in the oratorical contest. Wadsworth is Post 11’s first competitor.
“Payton’s diligent efforts, persistent determination, and unwavering commitment to the task have paid off,” Labate said. “Our Post is very proud of her achievements and we wish her our best at the next level.”
