From left: Lions Speech Contest Chairman: Pat Campbell, Third place winner Edgar Cruz, second place winter, Sandra Gonzales and the First Place winner, Rebekah Peoble.
The Mesquite Lions held their annual Lions District 46 Student Speakers Contest on Wednesday, January 28th at the Holiday Inn Express in Mesquite. This contest gives high school young people the opportunity to develop their speaking and personal presentation skills, so important as they prepare to take on roles as future leaders in our country.
Rebekah Peoble, a junior at Virgin Valley High School, was this year’s club level winner. Students from Virgin Valley High School participated under the guidance of Forensics teacher Greg Johnston. Lions Speech contest Chairman Pat Campbell, presented this opportunity to the students.
The Lion Clubs of Nevada have been sponsoring the Speech Contest and awarding scholarships for many years. The subject is chosen by the Lions District organization and this year’s topic is “Immigration Reform”. The students must research the subject and give a 10 minute presentation before judges as they compete on the local, zone, regional, and district level. Rebekah will now advance to the Zone competition against other winners in Nevada in Las Vegas in March. If she wins there, she will go on to the Region level in April and finally the District contest in May in Elko, NV.
On the club level Rebekah received a $75 award and the second place winner, Sandra Gonzales, and third place winner Edgar Cruz each received $25 from the Mesquite Lions. Each level provides a monetary award and the winner on the District level receives a scholarship of $5,000. Three students from Virgin Valley High School have competed on the District level in past contests.
The Lions are very proud to sponsor this competition which allows students the opportunity to practice their speaking techniques, gain composure and explore a thought provoking subject in depth on a topic of vital interest here and abroad.
Judges of this year’s contest were: Carol Livingston, teacher, John Williams, retired CEO, Lana Hess, teacher and Joe de Ganahl, rancher.
The Mesquite Lions are proud to present this annual competition and encourage all students to consider entering the competition in 2016.
The latest project is a fund raiser. The Lions will be selling tickets for $25.00 each which enters the ticket holder in a contest with 48 chances to win. The Mesquite Lions will draw 4 names each month with four monetary prizes. Then the name goes back into the drawing for the next month giving the ticket holder multiple chances to win.
The funds earned from this project will be given back in Mesquite to support sight and hearing programs, youth programs such as scholarships and sending needy students to camp, assist in local projects and continue their annual sponsorship of the Easter Egg Contest and Flag Day program to name a few.
