A little known financial opportunity exists for students in the Roanoke Valley’s high schools.

Each year, the American Legion nationally awards more than $140,000 in scholarship funds to local high students. Locally, The American Legion Post 3 will award $250 to the first place winner, who will then proceed to the State level, then on to Nationals where the three top finalists can win $18,000, $16,000 and $14,000 respectively in scholarships, toward their college education. Yet – last year very little interest was shown by local schools and students. The Oratorical Contest was developed in 1938 to primarily instill a better knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution of the United States in high school students.

Other objectives include the development of leadership qualities, the ability to think and speak clearly and the preparation for acceptance of the duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges of American citizenship. It works like this: Interested students obtain an application from their teacher or guidance counselor. To qualify, the student must first be a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States. All contestants must be bona fide students, described as any student under the age of 20 years on the date of the national contest and be presently enrolled in a high school or junior high school, commencing with grade nine and terminating with grade 12.

Eligible students must be enrolled in high school or junior high school and must not be enrolled in a college, university, trade school or other institution of high education at the time of the department finals contest. The applications are sent by the school to Roanoke’s American Legion Post 3, the applications are graded accordingly, and the selected applicants are notified.

The local contest will take place the last Saturday of January 2019, so students will have ample time to prepare if they apply before the deadline of January 15, 2018. The Regional contest will then take place on February 9, 2019. On the day of the contest, each selected applicant is given a subject five minutes before their presentation is made. The subjects for this year’s contest are taken from the First, Fourth, Thirteenth and Twenty-First Amendments to the Constitution.

One of the assigned topics will be given to the contestant, and he/she will have five minutes to prepare for their no longer than a ten minute presentation on the Subject Amendment they have been assigned. The contestants may take no less than three minutes for their speech. A great deal of preparation goes into these contests, and much care is taken to see that all the rules are followed, and the contests are judged fairly.

A team of judges are selected from the community, based on their knowledge of the contest rules and regulations. Commander Dick Small and the entire membership of Post 3 is urging parents, school counselors and grandparents to get involved with their high school students by speaking to them about this opportunity to further support their ongoing education. – Submitted by Doris Hansel