Congratulations to SMS eighth-grader Daniel McCall who is the winner of the 2019 statewide American Legion Junior Oratorical Contest!
The contest took place recently at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College in Manchester. The purpose of the New Hampshire American Legion Junior Oratorical Contest is to allow students in grades 6 through 8 an opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the Constitution of the United States.
There are two parts to the contest — the prepared oration, whose subject must be on some phase of the Constitution and is from 3 to 5 minutes in duration, and the assigned topic where contestants are asked to speak for 2 to 4 minutes on a topic relating to the Constitution.
Contest participants are judged on depth of knowledge of the Constitution, originality of their oration, skill in selecting examples, voice, diction, posture, poise, eye contact, and use of gestures.
The junior oratorical contest serves as a stepping stone for the American Legion National High School Oratorical Contest and helps participants develop the ability to address an audience at a young age.
For additional details, please see the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript.