The Washington Court House Rotary Club held its annual “4-Way Test” speech contest on Feb. 23, which is organized by Bruce Morrison.
Joe Denen, Krystie Bowers and Angie Tackett served as judges, and Sue Thompson was the timekeeper. Each student described a situation, experience or passion in their lives and how the 4-way test applied. The Rotary “4-way Test” includes the questions: “Is it the truth?”, “Is it fair to all concerned?”, “Will it build good will and better friendships?” and “Is it beneficial to all concerned?”
Nine students from local school districts spoke in the following order, on various topics:
1. Michaela Liff spoke about the problem of homelessness in the community, and the joining of several churches to set up a mission for homeless men.
2. Austin Russell discussed how diversity on the Student Advisory Council positively impacted the council’s effectiveness and what he learned from that.
3. Elizabeth Krafzer spoke about working with the children in the public preschool as a teacher’s aide.
4. Rebekah Lucas recalled volunteering at Carlton Manor and what she learned from socializing with the residents.
5. Mitchell Creamer told the judges about a mission project he participated in in Costa Rica that taught him a lot about other cultures.
6. Amber Haynes talked about the Greatest Scavenger Hunt in the world – what it was and what she has learned by participating.
7. Roma Patel addressed why requiring a national language does not meet any of the criteria of the “4-way Test,” and how such a requirement would be detrimental to many groups of people.
8. Riley Evans explained to the judges how FFA allowed him the opportunity to travel and learn about other cultures, so much so that he convinced his family to host a foreign exchange student from Italy.
9. Gavin Mallow talked about the impact his mother’s early death had on him and how he grew emotionally and developed strong coping skills
The judges said that all contestants did very well. The prizes were awarded and Rebekah Lucas took first place, Riley Evans took second place, and Roma Patel took third place.
