Five Hamilton School District students participated in this year’s Optimist Club of Sussex, Lisbon, Lannon and Butler Oratorical Contest. The three top finishers were:
- Senior Aashi Iyengar took first place and $250 prize.
- Sixth grader Rayyan Zia took second place and a $150 prize.
- Senior Sriya Gannapureddy earned third place and a $100 award.
Winners were also given a medallion for their success in the 4- to 5-minute speech contest. This year’s topic was “How to Change the World with Optimism.” Iyengar advanced to the next level of competition.
Hamilton High School Juniors Lahari Gurram and Nika Stacey received gift cards and recognition for their participation.
Optimist International is one of the world’s largest service club organizations with 80,000 adult and youth members in 2,500 clubs throughout the world. Since its start in 1928, the Optimist Oratorical Contest has become the longest-running program sponsored by Optimist International. The contest is designed for youth to gain experience in public speaking, perfect self-expression, gain self-assurance, improve communication skills and provide them with the opportunity to compete for a college scholarship.