Students, residents invited to support Stark Reading Contest Finalists

Published 1:47 pm Sunday, April 3, 2016

Special to The Leader

ORANGE – The County Finals competition of the 112th Miriam Lutcher Stark Contest in Reading and Declamation will be held at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, April 24, 2016, at the Lutcher Theater, 707 W. Main Avenue 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: Vincent Hale
  • Interpretive Reading: Connor Alexander

 

Bridge City High School

  • Declamation: Chelsea Savoy
  • Interpretive Reading: Avery Harris

 

Vidor High School

  • Declamation: Nick Lewis
  • Interpretive Reading: Hannah Odom

 

West Orange-Stark High School

  • Declamation: Tyffani Hinson
  • Interpretive Reading: Olivia Basinger

 

Orangefield High School

  • Declamation: Katy Swiere
  • Interpretive Reading: Jeri Agee

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 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 1,800 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.