The Optimist Club of Brookings is encouraging area students to speak their minds about the topic “How Optimism Has Guided Me Through Trying Times” as part of the Optimist International …
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The Optimist Club of Brookings is encouraging area students to speak their minds about the topic “How Optimism Has Guided Me Through Trying Times” as part of the Optimist International Oratorical Contest for the 2024-25 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 for first, second and third place 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 age 19 as of Oct. 1.
“As they prepare for their future, many of our local students need experience expressing their thoughts and opinions to an audience,” Club President David Norby 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 8, and the local contest will be on March 15. Students wishing to participate in the oratorical contest can find out more about the contest by contacting the club 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 Kite Festival, Little Libraries and Trout Extravaganza.
Optimist International is one of the world’s largest service club organizations with over 80,000 adult and youth members in almost 3,000 clubs in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico and throughout the world. The Optimist Oratorical Contest is one of the organization’s most popular programs, with more than 2,000 clubs participating annually.
Carrying the mission statement, “By providing hope and positive vision, Optimists bring out the best in youth, our communities, and ourselves. Optimists conduct positive service projects that reach more than six million young people each year."
To learn more about Optimist International, visit the organization’s website at www.optimist.org.