Special to The Leader

 

The County Finals competition of the 113th Miriam Lutcher Stark Contest in Reading and Declamation will be held at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, April 23, 2017 at the Lutcher Theater, 707 Main, in Orange, Texas.

 

Contestants in the two categories of Interpretive Reading or Declamation who won first place at the local level competitions that were previously held at each of the five participating Orange County public high schools will compete for scholarship awards totaling $15,000.00. All participants in the County Final will receive a watch commemorating the contest, which has been a tradition for the event for since its establishment in 1904. Teachers, classmates and administrators from the representative schools, as well as all members of the community, are invited to attend the competition, which is free and open to the public.

 

The school-level winners who will be competing in the upcoming County Finals of the Stark Reading Contest are as follows:

 

 Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School

• Declamation: Connor Alexander
• Interpretive Reading: Kaylee Patillo

  Bridge City High School

• Declamation: Brandon Curl
• Interpretive Reading: Bree Cloud

  Vidor High School

• Declamation: Gillian Grant
• Interpretive Reading: Johnny Hall

  West Orange-Stark High School

• Declamation: E’Laziah Nickerson
• Interpretive Reading: Wyndie Williams

  Orangefield High School

• Declamation: Brayden Berry
• Interpretive Reading: Ryan Posey

The aim of the Stark Reading Contest is to enhance the literary and forensic quality and skills of high school students who participate in the contest. The Contest has continued annually since its inception in 1904 and offers educational opportunities and experiences for students at each of the five Orange County public high schools. This year more than one hundred and five students participated in the Stark Reading Contest at the five eligible high schools of Bridge City, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, Orangefield, Vidor, and West Orange-Stark.  Since 2001, nearly 1,900 students have competed in the Stark Reading Contest.

 

The Miriam Lutcher Stark Contest in Reading and Declamation is sponsored by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation as part of its continuing mission to enrich the community and encourage and assist education.