American Legion District 12 Commander James Woody presents Rene Wright with a $150 check for second place in the District 12 level of the American Legion Oratorical Contest held in Spooner on Feb. 22. – Photo provided
SPOONER – On Saturday, Feb. 22, three area high school students competed in the 12th District level of the 87th-annual American Legion Oratorical Contest at the American Legion Moe Miller Post 12 in Spooner. They were Serena Lu, Spooner; Rene Wright, Webster; and Alexandria Peterson, Flambeau. Wright placed second and received a check for $150.
The contest, sponsored by the American Legion, was established in 1938 to foster and develop knowledge and appreciation for the United States Constitution. It’s a program designed to give students an academic challenge as well as a public speaking exercise. The academic challenge is to learn the history of our country’s laws and gain an understanding of the rights, duties and responsibilities of citizenship.
The speaking exercise teaches students to organize thoughts, to think and speak clearly. No matter what the profession or vocation, public speaking and writing are critical skills in addition to leadership qualities.
Each contestant is required to present an eight to 10-minute speech about some aspect of the Constitution. Then they draw from a choice of selected amendments and have five minutes to prepare a three to five-minute speech related to that amendment.
A Webster High School senior, Wright represented the American Legion Otis Taylor Post 96. He said he was motivated to participate in the program “because I have a passion for learning about history and it was fun to learn about the Constitution.”
Wright credits his achievement to his language arts teacher, Debbie Wilson. “She has been the most influential English teacher I have had because she has expanded my knowledge of how to write a convincing argument to my audience.”
At the county level, he gave his speeches in January for a panel of three judges from the Webster American Legion Post 96 before moving on to the district level. “It was nice to have the local judges give me tips and tricks to make my public speaking better.” He said he rehearsed many times in front of a mirror to monitor his gestures and facial expressions.
His first contest presentation was titled “The Constitution: Our Most Important Document.” Among the points he made were how important citizens’ duties and responsibilities are to vote and defend the Constitution.
The subject of the three contestants’ short speech was the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18. The crux of the matter was that 18-year-olds were old enough to serve in the armed forces and fight in the Korean War, but did not have the right to vote on that or any other government policies.
This subject was quite appropriate as Wright is exactly that age. He noted that his grandfather, a Korean War veteran and member of Grantsburg American Legion Post 185, was proud of his grandson’s oratory success.
Wright said the contest “made me realize how much we take for granted every day. The amount of freedom we have is really incredible compared to what’s normal in a lot of other countries.”
He said the public speaking knowledge he gained will help him prepare as the Webster High School Class of 2025 valedictorian. The recipient of a $10,000 Horatio Alger Foundation scholarship, Wright has been accepted to the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and plans to pursue a career in nursing. “I thank the Webster American Legion Post for giving me the opportunity to meet new people––overall it was a fun experience.” – Submitted by Harriet Rice
