Monte Vista senior Adam Lathram defeated two students from San Ramon Valley High School in the local round of the National High School Oratorical Contest at Veteran’s Hall in Danville last week.
The American Legion’s National High School Oratorical Contest is a competition that encourages students to develop a deeper appreciation of the U.S. Constitution as well as improving their social and analytical skills, Legion members said. The topic this year was the importance of Article 5 of the Constitution, which provides for making amendments to the Constitution.
“The whole point of the program is to encourage high school students to know more about the Constitution,” said Ronald Roe, chief organizer of the contest in Danville. “The Constitution basically determines how our system works.”
He added that knowing how the document works helps the students understand the responsibilities and rights they have as citizens.
At the contest, Lathram beat senior Laila Fahamuddin and sophomore Angela Meng. His speech stressed the importance of how Article 5 of the American Constitution adapts and deals with change.
He will now move on to the regional competition. All contestants received cash prizes under $60 and wooden plaques.
“The contest forces them to think about things that they don’t normally think about,” said Liz Paz-Rumore, a contest judge and an educator at Quarry Lane School in Dublin. “It makes an impression on their lives.”
The contest is in its 69th year. Scholarship awards are presented to the three finalists in the national contest, with first place receiving $18,000; second place, $16,000; and third place, $14,000.
Each state winner who participates in the first round of the National Contest will receive a $1,500 scholarship. Each first-round winner who advances to the second round, but does not advance to the final round, will receive an additional $1,500 scholarship to pursue education beyond high school.
Last year, Miramonte High School senior Daniel F. Berring of Orinda won the national contest and received a $20,000 scholarship.
