Winners named in Oratorical Contest
As school districts decide which classes to keep and which to scrap, civics and the Constitution can often fall to the wayside.
John Mcjunkin, chairman for the second district of the Oratorical Contest - part of the Ohio American Legion - is doing his best to get young people interested in the subjects.
Last Sunday Liberty Menke, a senior at New Knoxville, won the speech contest designed to get students interested in learning about the Constitution.
Participating students were required to give an 8-10-minute speech without the aid of notes or prompts.
"[They] just had to stand up in front of the judges, a few other legionnaires,… and guests such as parents and family members," Mcjunkin said.
The Oratorical Contest, which started in 1938 and came to Ohio in the mid-1960s, is made up of two parts: first the speech students had to
write, then a 3-5-minute presentation on a Constitutional amendment.
This year's amendment involved the judicial branch, specifically the Supreme Court.
"They… did really good in explaining how you have the one major court in our country and [how] the rest just drops down to the local level," Mcjunkin said.
After scores were tabulated, New Knoxville senior Liberty Menke was announced the winner.
Participating students volunteered for the competition. In addition to scholarship money awarded to students who go through the program, Mcjunkin hopes students learn more about the Constitution.
"This is a great opportunity for them," he said. "A few years ago a girl from Minster… won a lot of money, and at that time she changed her whole major. She went into law… she got so into the Constitution, Constitutional law."
Menke will advance to the state competition on March 7, with the competition at the American Legion headquarters in Delaware, OH.
Mcjunkin said of the 14 state districts, usually 10 kids participate, but due to the pandemic only six districts will attend.
"There's some schools that just [don't] push it whatsoever, they don't even want their students involved with it again this time," he said.
Last year's nationals were canceled, and Mcjunkin wasn't sure on the status of this year's national competition.