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Delta State Oratorical Contest winners announced

By December 16, 2009General

Stephanie Brown

 

 

The Delta State Division of Languages and Literature and the Communication Studies and Theatre Arts Program sponsored their annual Fall Oratorical Contest featuring students enrolled in the Public Speaking class. The contest featured two categories: “Informative” and “Persuasive.”

 
The winner of the Informative category was Brittany Moxley, a sophomore music education major from Greenville. She delivered an address entitled “Classical Trained Pop Artist.”
 
Stephanie Brown, a sophomore psychology major from Merigold, won the Persuasive category of the contest with her speech on “ATV Laws.”
 
Moxley and Brown received a $150 leadership scholarship and a plaque. In addition,Brown received a new award: “The David Norquist Persuasive Oratory Award,” a $500 cash award funded by Rep. David Norquist of Cleveland.
 
The other presenters included Austin R. Childress from Mountain Home, Ark., Whitney Harrington from Clarksdale, Na’Keesha Jones from Olive Branch, Meaghan Gelston from Benton, and Fawn Horton from Rolling Fork. Each of these presenters received a gift certificate from the Delta State bookstore and a certificate of achievement.
 
Bolivar County Court Judge Gwen Thomas, Rep. Norquist, and Billy Owen, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Cleveland and Merigold United Methodist Church, served as judges. Attorney John Cox, a Delta State alumnus of Cleveland, presented the keynote address on the topic “The Need to Develop Effective Communication Skills.
 
The Oratorical Contest has been a bi-annual event since 2004 that showcases the oratorical talents of students enrolled in the Public Speaking classes. Teachers of the course Stephen King, Nancy Clark, Sally Paulson and Lester Fisher select the best speeches from their respective classes.
 
Delta State Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Wayne Blansett, the Division of Student Affairs and the Follett Higher Education Group, along with Languages and Literature, helped support the event.
 
The Oratorical Contest was held Thursday, December 3, in the Jacob Conference Center of Ewing Hall on the campus.