The Whitefield Lions Club hosted its annual Speak Out competition Jan. 24 at the Lions Club clubhouse in Coopers Mills.
Five members of the Erskine Academy speech and debate team competed in the event. Arthur Sollitt, Adam Ochs, Conor Skehan, Caleb Sacks and Hagen “Joki” Wallace were accompanied by Nicholas Waldron, advisor for the speech and debate team at Erskine Academy.
Wallace, a senior whose topic was antibiotic resistance, placed first.
Sollitt, also a senior, placed second with his speech about gratefulness.
Ochs, a freshman, spoke on the topic of alternative medicine and placed third.
Students are encouraged to choose a topic they feel strongly about and express their ideas publicly and defend those ideas when questioned.
Judges were Lions Brad Bean, Nancy Studley and Barry Tibbetts.
After each speech, contestants were questioned by Lion Steve Laundrie and Pam Kenoyer.
Lion Jerry Maldovan was the timekeeper. Lion Cal Prescott was event organizer.
Wallace will compete at the regional competition to be held at 6 p.m. March 19 at the Margaret Chase Smith Library, 56 Norridgewock Ave., in Skowhegan.
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