Click photo to open full-size image The Lewisville Noon Rotary hosted its annual 4-Way Test Speech competition last week, organized by Youth Committee chair Sue Bowman. The contest is open to high school students in grades 9-12, and the purpose of the speech is to apply the principles of Rotary International’s 4-Way Test to a current ethical issue. Students are challenged to identify a topic they feel passionate about and to adopt a point of view from which they will seek to persuade others. Although two Lewisville High School students had to drop out of the contest due to illness, three worthy contestants impressed the audience with thoughtful and timely presentations. Contest winner Sonika Harish gave an impassioned speech about gender discrimination and how unequal opportunities for women in education and employment continue to be a problem, both globally and domestically. She received a $300 prize for her presentation. Runner-up Joshua McCulley walked away with $150 for his talk on applying the 4-Way Test to personal goal-setting and self-improvement, while third-place winner Adrianna Garcia earned $100 for her speech about performing acts of kindness, especially toward people recovering from an illness or injury. Lewisville High School principal Jim Baker and speech class teacher Liana Massengale both were in attendance to lend support and congratulate the students on their achievements. |