By Rees Lloyd
The finals of the American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program – “A Constitutional Speech Contest,” in which thousands of students have competed across the country, concluded on Sunday, April 11, with a live broadcast of the competition online from Indianapolis, where the National American Legion is headquartered.
The American Legion’s patriotic educational program results in some $3.5-million in scholarships being given annually to students who compete at the various levels of competition – from the Legion Posts, to Districts, to Areas, to Departments (States) and ultimately the National Finals.
The top three National winners for 2010 are: Tori Beth Black of S. Carolina, Elizabeth Blessing of Alabama, and Brooke Conner of Vermont. The received scholarships of $18,000, $16,000, and $14, 000 respectively.
Winners from all 50 states plus three overseas Departments of the Legion, competed. Every competitor received a $1,500 scholarship, plus the scholarship funds received at each step of the competition in their states.
The Oregon Department winner was Dalton Hellman, a senior at Canby High School. He was sponsored by Canby Post 122.
Congratulations to all the kids who competed at every level of the Legion Oratorical Scholarship contest, an outstanding patriotic educational program.
Congratulations, too, to all the wartime veteran members of The American Legion who make this patriotic learning experience available to the nation’s kids, and future leaders.
They are sure not getting it in the ” public schools, in which patriotism is trumped by “progressive” politically correct pap and propaganda; the Star Spangled Banner by “Barack Hussein Obama, Hmmm, Hmmm, Hmmm;” and the Ten Commandments by Ten Condoms.
More information on the American Legion’s Oratorical Scholarship Program, Boys State, Girls State, and other of the Legion’s Americanism programs for Children and Youth, is available at www. Legion.org.
[Rees Lloyd, a constitutional lawyer, is a member of The American Legion. The views expressed here are solely those of Rees Lloyd and not any individual, entity, or organization he may otherwise represent.]]
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