Once again a group of high school students dazzled an assembly of Rotarians with their critical thinking and public speaking skills at the annual District final Four-Way Test Speech Contest finals on April 9th. Twenty-five Rotary Clubs throughout the District worked with their local high schools to conduct club contests during February and March. Understanding, appreciating, and expressing the true meaning of the Four-Way Test is the most important aspect of each speech. Students are asked to choose their own topic, and they ranged from the need to include philosophy in the public school high school curriculum to the damaging effects of social media on our youth. This year the final was held at the District Assembly and the champion will go on to Hershey to the Tri-District Conference (7430, 7450 [Philadelphia], 7475 [New Jersey]) and present the winning speech along with the champions from the other two Districts.
District 7430 is divided into five regions with eight to ten clubs in each region. The regional contests were held on April 2, 2022 simultaneously in five different locations. While last year we went to a virtual format for all contests, it was great to be back to in-person contests this year.
This year's winners were:
- 1st East Jack Geld – Willow Grove
- 2nd West Emily Wessner – Fleetwood
- 3rd North Mackenzie Laub – Whitehall
- 4th South Sarah Grosch – North Penn
- 5th Central Aditi Mangal – Spring Ford
Pictured to the left is winner Jack Geld, who is invited to present his speech at our Tri District Conference in Hershey on April 23. Jack was also honored by WIllow Grove Rotary earlier this school year as one of the recipients of its student of the month awards.
The Four-Way Test Speech contest promotes critical thinking and ethical decision-making among high school students. It provides a forum for high school students to showcase issues that they care about. The contest encourages scholarship and academic research and it allows high school students to practice their public speaking skills. Many times, the students’ thoughtful speeches unravel the complexities of Four-Way Tests in new and innovative ways. If your club hasn’t held a contest yet, you are encouraged to give it a try. There are 69 school districts in the five-county Rotary District 7430 area, so there is plenty of opportunity for 46 clubs.