District Oration Contest    

The cafeteria at Lincoln Elementary School was filled to the brim Thursday evening with positive energy.  Many people in attendance had the jitters, and it was not just the students, but also their parents and teachers.   They had all come together for the District Finals of the 26^th Annual Oration Contest.  The stage was decorated with a bright, patriotic theme, the podium ready for each contestant to deliver a winning speech.  Sixteen students in grades 5 – 8 represented sixteen schools in the Lancaster School District.  They had each been declared a winner at their school, presenting a 3 – 5 minute speech on the topic of “My State.”  They would deliver the same speech again in front of a panel of judges.  Modern Woodmen of America is the sponsor of the oration contest each year.  They are actually a life insurance company, and this is their community outreach program.  They provide trophies for the winners, medals for all the participants and paperwork for the judges.  They also award the winner with a check for $50.

     Donna King, teacher in the Lancaster School District and coordinator of the evening’s event, took the stage to begin the program.  She introduced El Dorado GATE student Erin Berry who led the Pledge of Allegiance and then beautifully sang “The National Anthem” and also “America / This is the Land I Love.”  Ms. King welcomed the “star” students, their families and friends and also acknowledged Assistant Superintendants in attendance, Jim Schettig and Dr. Howard Sundberg, board members Mel Kleven and John Miller, the school principals and the teachers and site coordinators. Next, she introduced the panel of distinguished judges. They have all been active members of the community for years.  Mike Keenan recently retired from Antelope Valley College where he held the position of Vice President of Student Services.  He had also been involved and served several times as emcee for the American Cancer Society Telethons and the Rotary Club auctions, each helping to raise money for our community.  Melinda Keenan had been involved in education in the Lancaster School District for 28 years, half of that time as a teacher and the other half as an administrator, serving as Vice Principal and Principal.  Mike and Melinda have recently retired from the district and make their home in Tehachapi where they enjoy golf and grandkids.  Chris Keene is an insurance broker in town and has been very active in the district.  He has served on his children’s’ School Site Councils, has been a member of the Lancaster Education Foundation for ten years and has been the president for three.  He was selected as Lancaster School District’s Volunteer of the Year last year.  They have all had experience judging school speech contests and enjoy giving to the community by judging the district finals.  Ms. King mentioned that each student would be judged in several categories, in the areas of organization, presentation and overall effectiveness.

     The speakers had drawn numbers to determine their speaking positions, and with the stage set, it was time to begin.  Cassidy Keyes representing El Dorado Elementary School led the evening with her inspirational and enthusiastic speech about California’s features, including the land forms, the attractions and some interesting trivia.  She ended by saying that she thinks California “has it all” not because of research, but because she lives here.  Laura Brown from Endeavour Middle School followed with her passionate speech about the opportunities that living in California provides.  She spoke of dreams, hopes and visions and even concluded with her own original poem.  From Mariposa Elementary, Ryan Klumpp mentioned things that made California rich and full of magic, like its sports teams, its theme parks and its beautiful coastline.  Ashleigh Fuller from Piute Middle School chose to speak on the state of Alabama, and told about the interesting features of the state’s history, geography and many famous people who have called Alabama home.  This was followed by Joshua Elementary’s representative Evelyn Garcia who provided a descriptive tour of what she considers to be California’s most interesting and fascinating and exciting city, San Francisco, formerly known as Yerba Buena.  Alex Williams of Park View Middle School followed suit and told us many amazing and fascinating stories about his favorite city, Hollywood and how it provides so much for California.  Nancy Cory Elementary’s representative, Alison Haddad narrowed her focus to the beautiful tourist attraction of Yosemite, mentioning the 3,000 year old beautiful Sequoia trees and the breathtaking waterfalls and hiking trails.  Spencer Klein from New Vista Middle School spoke of several of the major California cities, including the sports teams and the gold rush and included several entertaining and amusing anecdotes.  West Wind Elementary’s student, Anthony Lucero followed with his speech focusing on exploration which led to California’s early history.  He spoke of the missions and the Gold Rush and how they molded the future for California.  After Sierra Elementary’s representative Lisa Martinez finished her descriptive speech about her favorite place, Fillmore, she surely convinced many people to visit this “fun, cool, awesome and incredible” city. Next, Patricia Leslie of Lincoln Elementary took us on an exciting tour of the silver state, Nevada in all of its splendor.  She mentioned its history, its geography and of course, its fun.  With the focus back on California again, Holden Porter from Linda Verde Elementary provided a chronology of the history of many of the big cities and also spoke about the beautiful mountains and beaches.  Sunnydale Elementary’s representative, Sarah Sutherland told an interesting story about the incredible features of her state, Illinois, choosing to focus mainly on the city of Chicago. It was amazing to hear how many famous and influential people hailed from Illinois, from Abraham Lincoln to Oprah Winfrey.  Next, Kristopher King of Monte Vista Elementary told of many important events in California history, but focused primarily on the Gold Rush, and its impact on the rest of the world.  Gabriela Garcia from Amargosa Creek Middle School began her speech with a rousing, “Eureka!”  She eloquently took the audience on an exciting tour up California’s incredible coastline, mentioning the features, the attractions, the agriculture and the charm that make California a unique state, known not only for its fast pace, but also its fast food.  Desert View Elementary’s representative Michael Lozano was the final speaker for the evening and he provided quite an interesting and detailed look at the ghost towns in California, especially Calico and Bodie.

     Ms. King returned to the podium to congratulate these bright and courageous students on their achievement and their dedication and excused the judges to deliberate.  The audience mingled and reflected on the variety of the speeches and also took a look at the mini California museum of student work set up on the side of the cafeteria.  There were some creative “Raid the Pantry” Mission Mosaics made from bits of dried macaroni, beans, oatmeal, spices and other interesting ingredients.  Also on display were several natural relief maps of the regions of California made with sand, soil, grass and rocks.  To further accentuate the California theme, there was “Poppy Art”.  The Teacher’s Association of Lancaster held a contest and teachers and students submitted all types of artwork featuring California’s state flower.  Some of the winning pieces were displayed.  One whole wall of the cafeteria was beautifully decorated in the theme of Cinderella.  Surely, this made people think about people reaching their dreams.

     It was time for the announcement of the winners, which was done by Dr. Howard Sundberg.  He congratulated all of the students and complimented them on a job well done, and talked about the value of holding such an event which showcases these bright and passionate students. Although, they are all winners, the third place trophy went to Alison Haddad from Nancy Cory Elementary, second to Sarah Sutherland of Sunnydale Elementary and the first place winner was Amargosa Creek Middle School’s representative, Gabriela Garcia. 

     Before leaving for the evening, Ms. King thanked many people for helping to make the evening possible, and the judges congratulated each student and helped to hand out prizes for all of the students participating in the contest.  There was a generous outpouring of support from many people in the community.  Each principal donated money from their student body funds toward the prize packages and many local businesses also helped out with contributions and gift certificates.  Special thanks were given to Antelope Valley Florist, Brunswick Sands Bowl, Carpeteria, Denny’s, Desert Aire Golf Course/Vista Golf Shop, Holiday Skating Rink, Home Town Buffet, KB Homes, Kay Hendrickson (Photographic Artist who donated posters of Antelope Valley Poppies), McDonald’s, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Sizzler Steak House, Texas Cattle Co, Vince’s Pizza, Weinerschintzel and Wendy’s.

     It was heartwarming to see so much effort and support provided for these special and dedicated young people of our community.  Surely, it will be an evening that will not be soon forgotten.  These students, through their speeches and their passion, made the audience feel so many reasons to have pride in our country, our state and in our community, and in these children, our bright hope for the future.