Students compete at oratory competition

When Rachael Dickson needed inspiration for the Carbon County Oratory Competition, she looked to her astrology-crazed friends.

Or rather, they came to her. A friend’s unprompted, in-depth horoscope provided the idea she needed for her speech.

“That actually happened. After that happened, I was left in shock, I was like ‘what happened? I can write a speech about this,’ ” the senior at Carbon Career & Technical Institute said.

On Wednesday, on stage at Penn’s Peak, Dickson spoke about why people like to look to the stars to predict the future. The future Temple University student won first prize over students from around Carbon County.

On the boys’ side, Palmerton Area High School senior Ben Serfass prevailed.

Serfass spoke about the “Seven Wonders” of his personal life — people, places and moments which have impacted him during his life.

“There were seven instances or people who helped shape me into the person I am today,” he said.

Serfass said he got the idea from a college application prompt. He’s going to Penn State this fall.

While he never competed at the oratory competition before, Serfass won thanks to public speaking skills he has honed as a class officer and member of the mock trial team.

Serfass said it was an honor in itself to be on stage with the other candidates, let alone take home the winner’s plaque.

“They were all outstanding, all had different types of speeches that incorporated some different aspects of life and where they were coming from,” he said.

The oratory competition has been taking place for nearly 50 years.

Each year, English teachers from around the county choose the students they think will best represent the schools in the competition. They are often juggling athletics and extracurriculars on top of preparing for the competition.

“These are kids who will go out and certainly make a difference in the world,” said Bonnie Tavella, an English teacher at Palmerton Area High School.

Each student has to speak for 5-7 minutes on a topic of their choice.

They are judged on six categories: substance, structure, style, bodily expression, vocal expression and personal qualities.

This year the competition was judged by Marie Johns and Katya Fitzpatrick of BRC TV-13.

The TV station also records and broadcasts the competition, adding extra pressure to the students as they recite their speeches.

“You’re here in this big venue, and you’re being taped for TV. It takes it to another level,” Tavella said.

Owen Stewart, a senior at Weatherly Area High School, spoke about finding relief during tough times by remembering a funny word. He implored that there is “no angry way to say bubbles.”

Bryce Rivera, a senior at CCTI, spoke about how results reflect the effort you put into a project or problem.

“Let me ask you, what exactly are you putting in?” he asked the crowd.

Jake Taras, a junior at Panther Valley, told the crowd to “cherish your life as best you can, for before you know it, life can change in the blink of an eye.”

Natalie White, a sophomore at Panther Valley, called her grandmother, who is fighting cancer for the third time, the strongest person she knows.

“She still smiles through it all and she’ll do anything for you,” White said.

Victoria Young, a Palmerton sophomore, extolled the benefits of music education, and lamented the fact that more schools don’t embrace it.

“Successful music students tend to possess the qualities and skills that are generally considered essential to employers in business, education and service organizations,” she said.

Sheliya Davis, a sophomore at Jim Thorpe, talked about how conformity is necessary in some aspects of life, but should be avoided in others.

“In all, I believe conformity is a great tool when dealing with the general public. However I implore, do not permanently change your morals to fit in with the standards of society,” she said.

Kathleen Graham, a senior at Weatherly, spoke about the need to speak up when words become weapons against marginalized people.

“If we take a moment every single day to work against our current culture of ignorance and intolerance, there’s a chance we can work to change the mentality we have from one of violence to one of progress,” she said.