On December 5, 2018 the Norfolk, Plainville and Wrentham Lions restarted our long tradition of sponsoring local high school students in the Massachusetts Lions Youth Speech Competition. This event provides an opportunity for students to speak publicly on a designated topic of general interest. The competition starts at the local level and proceeds through multiple levels ending several months later with the statewide contest, where five district winners vie for the title of BEST IN THE STATE.
This year the initial event was held at a local restaurant after an emergency prevented the use of the Norfolk Public Library. The Lions are grateful to Novatos Bar & Grill, located on Route 1A in Norfolk, for accommodating our event on very short notice.
The speech topic this year, INTEGRITY: WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?, provided the students an opportunity to develop and deliver a 5-8 minute speech. The speeches were outstanding, each demonstrating a diverse understanding of the topic while highlighting the public speaking skills of each contestant. The scoring, based on delivery, effectiveness and text, was very close. Thank you to our judges, Mrs. Tricia Constantine, Ms. Connie Uriot and Mr. Jim Lehan, for volunteering their time to rank each speech.
This year we awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners, along with 2 runners-up. The first three places continue on to the next level of competition, with the runners-up available to step in should any of the other contestants be unable to participate. Our winners are:
1st place: Hunter Cohen – King Philip HS Senior
2nd place: Samantha ElMassih – King Philip HS Senior
3rd place: Benjamin Campanella – King Philip HS Junior
1st runner-up: Stephen Patel – King Philip HS Junior
2nd runner-up: Sam Woodward – King Philip HS Freshman Details about future competitions can be found on our website: www.norfolkmalions.org. Thanks to the community for supporting your local Lions Club.
About the Lions: Lions International, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, is the largest service organization in the world with over 1.4 million members. The Lions motto is “WE SERVE”. Your local Lions clubs are dedicated to helping those in need today and making our communities stronger. If you enjoy volunteering and helping others, please come join us!