Hamilton Students Win Optimist Oratorical Competition

From left to right: Le Anne Pomeroy, President of the SLLB Optimist Club; Sanjay Balaji; Summer Callister; Alexander Ghere; and Michael Bloedorn, SLLB Optimist Club Chairperson for the Oratorical Contest.

On February 26, 12 students from the Hamilton District competed and delivered presentations on the topic “The Moment I Realized I Belonged—My Definition of Community.” The four to five minute speech contest is designed for youth to gain experience in public speaking, perfect self-expression, gain self-assurance, and improve communication skills, as well as provide them with the opportunity to compete for a college scholarship. The speeches were scored and ranked by three judges. 

This year's awards go to:

First Place:  Summer Callister (Gold Medal and $250 Scholarship check)

Second Place:  Alexander Ghere (Silver Medal and $150 check)

Third Place:  Sanjay Balaji (Bronze Medal and $100 check)

Callister and Ghere will be moving on to compete in the district speech competition in April.

Optimist International is one of the world’s largest service club organizations with approximately 80,000 adult and youth members in 2,500 clubs throughout the world. Since its start in 1928, the Optimist Oratorical Contest has become the longest-running program sponsored by Optimist International.