Students, community invited to support Stark Reading Contest Finalists

The County Finals competition of the 111th Miriam Lutcher Stark Contest in Reading and Declamation will be held Sunday, April 26, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at the Lutcher Theater, 707 Main, in Orange, Texas.

Contestants in the two Stark Reading Contest categories of Interpretive Reading or Declamation will compete for scholarship awards totaling $15,000.00. Each of these contestants advanced to the County Finals following a series of local level competitions that were previously held at each of the five participating Orange County public high schools, for which separate scholarship monies were awarded. In addition to scholarships at both the school and county levels of the Contest, all participants in the County Finals will receive a watch that commemorates the contest, which has been a tradition for the event since its establishment in 1904.

Teachers, classmates and administrators from the representative schools, as well as all members of the community, are invited to attend the competition, which is free and open to the public. The school-level winners who will be competing in the upcoming County Finals of the Stark Reading Contest are as follows:

Bridge City High School

* Declamation: Emily Lawrence

* Interpretive Reading: Ariel Scogin

Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School

* Declamation: Spencer Johns

* Interpretive Reading: Vincent Hale

Orangefield High School

* Declamation: Thanh Tsan

* Interpretive Reading: Rowdy Chase Slaughter

Vidor High School

* Declamation: Madison Marino

* Interpretive Reading: Alana Jones

West Orange-Stark High School

* Declamation: Grant Anderson

* Interpretive Reading: Claydra Rhodes

The aim of the Stark Reading Contest is to enhance the literary and forensic quality and skills of high school students who participate in the contest. The Contest has continued annually since its inception in 1904 and offers educational opportunities and experiences for students at each of the five Orange County public high schools. This year more than 75 students participated in the Stark Reading Contest at the five eligible public high schools of Bridge City, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, Orangefield, Vidor, and West Orange-Stark. Since 2001, nearly 1,800 students have competed in the Stark Reading Contest.

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 and assist education.

Photo - Shown is a watch given to a contest winner in 1918. All participants in the Stark Reading Contest County Finals receive a watch commemorating the contest, which has been tradition for the event for since its establishment in 1904.