A penchant for public speaking

A Coeur d'Alene teen with a penchant for public speaking won the American Legion Post 143 High School Oratorical Contest for a second consecutive year.

Trinity Home Educators Co-op senior Adison Harrison, 18, earned first place in the competition, which was held Saturday at the Post Falls American Legion. She had one competitor this year — her brother, Trinity Home Educators Co-op sophomore Elijah Harrison, 16, who trailed by just a few points.

“It was really fun," Adison said Wednesday. "Last year, it was just me competing. With my brother competing with me I felt more engaged."

For the first part of the contest, Adison delivered her prepared oration, titled, “The Constitutional Role of the President." Elijah's speech was, "How the Amendments Protect, Provide and Preserve America."

"Both of them were really well-prepared," Post 143 High School Oratorical Contest Chair Vic Parrish said.

In the second portion of the competition, the siblings gave impromptu speeches on an element of the Constitution randomly selected by an audience member. They were given four topics to study in advance. The randomly chosen topic was Amendment 25 Section 3: President's declaration of inability.

"Both of them did well," Parrish said. "We were happy with it."

The national American Legion Oratorical Contest has been annually held since 1938 as a way for high school students to develop deeper knowledge of and appreciation for the U.S. Constitution. The Post Falls Post has hosted the contest as long as the Post has existed, Parrish said.

"The only winner from Idaho was in 1941 and they were from Cascade, Idaho," he said.

Adison said she enjoys participating in this oratorical contest because it gives her opportunities to learn about the history of constitutional amendments and how they came to be.

"Just being able to research and learn about something I don’t usually get to is something I really enjoy,” she said.

The young orator also just competed in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Voice of Democracy audio essay contest in Boise, where she placed third. She was sponsored by the Coeur d'Alene VFW Post 889.

Adison said it is encouraging to hear what her participation in these contests means to Idaho's veterans.

"They are constantly telling us they are so happy to see kids come in, it gives them hope for the future," she said. "I really appreciate the ability to talk to these veterans and how they’ve made my life so much better for what they’ve done for us."

Adison will compete Jan. 27 in the Post 143 area competition for Districts 1 and 2. If she advances, she will compete at the state level Feb. 17 in Meridian. From there, one winner from each state will compete at the national level.

Over $203,500 in scholarships can be awarded through this contest each year. The overall national contest winner will receive a $25,000 scholarship, second place will receive a $22,500 scholarship and third will take home a $20,000 scholarship. Each state winner who is certified into and participates in the national contest’s first round receives a $2,000 scholarship. Those who advance past the first round receive an additional $2,000 scholarship. The American Legion’s National Organization awards the scholarships, to be used at any U.S. college or university.