Stark Reading Contest winners announced

The Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation congratulates the winners of the County Final Competition of the Miriam Lutcher Stark Contest in Reading and Declamation. On Sunday, April 29, 2012, local level winners in declamation and interpretive reading competed at Lutcher Theater with Orangefield High School students Haley Permenter receiving first place in declamation and Kirsten Wollford taking first place in interpretive reading. Both students received scholarships for $5,000.

In declamation, Permenter chose Declaration of Conscience by Margaret Chase Smith, and Wollford did an interpretive reading of Katherine Mansfield’s The Singing Lesson. Second place in declamation went to Julian VanDevender of Vidor for his delivery of Address on the Space Shuttle Challenger by Ronald Reagan. In interpretive reading, Bridge City’s Adrian Morgan took second place with his reading of The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. Each second place winner received $2,500 in scholarships.

The Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation is proud of all the students that participated in this year’s contest and congratulates them for their outstanding accomplishments.

The aim of the Stark Reading Contest is to enhance the literary and forensic quality and skills of the students. The Contest has continued annually since its inception in 1904 and offers educational opportunities and experiences for students at Orange County public schools. The Miriam Lutcher Stark Contest in Reading and Declamation is sponsored by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation as part of its continuing mission to enrich the community and encourage education.