Congratulations to Stark Reading Contest Winners at Bridge City High School

The 2018 winners of the school-level competition held March 5, 2018 at Bridge City High School (Left to Right):

Maggie Garcia: 2^nd place, Declamation; Carissa Slaughter: 1^st place, Declamation; Madison Day: 1^st place, Interpretive Reading; Brandon Curl: 2^nd place, Interpretive Reading.

(ORANGE, Texas) – Bridge City High School students Carissa Slaughter and Madison Day earned first place in Declamation and Interpretive Reading, respectively, at the school-level finals of the 114^thMiriam Lutcher Stark Contest in Reading and Declamation, a scholarship program sponsored by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation.

On March 5, 2018, Bridge City High School students competed in the local-level contest, which was coordinated by Shannon King, Bridge City High School teacher and school director for the Stark Reading Contest. Slaughter won first place in Declamation with Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s speechSolitude of Self, while Day won first place in Interpretive Reading with her presentation of an excerpt from Dave Pelzer’s work A Child Called It. Second place in Declamation went to Maggie Garcia, with Brandon Curl receiving second-place honors in Interpretive Reading.

Bree Cloud, the county level winner in Interpretive Reading from last year’s contest, served as the emcee for the Bridge City competition. Terry Stuebing, Bridge City High School Principal, presented awards to the 2017-18 school-level contest winners.

Each second-place winner was awarded $1,500 in scholarships from the Stark Foundation, while the two first-place winners were awarded $2,000 in scholarships. The first-place winners from Bridge City High School will go on to compete against the first-place winners from other participating Orange County public high schools at the County Final of the Stark Reading Contest, which is scheduled forSunday, April 29, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. at the Lutcher Theater.

The Stark Reading Contest is sponsored by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation as part of its continuing mission to enrich the quality of life in the Orange community and encourage education. The aim of the Contest is to enhance the literary and forensic quality and skills of Orange County public high school students. The Contest has continued annually since its inception in 1904, which makes the 2017-18 school year the 114^th annual year of the Contest. In addition to offering educational opportunities and experiences for students at eligible Orange County public high schools, participating students may earn scholarship awards for continued education.

For larger or high-resolution images, contact Drew Whatley at [email protected].

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About the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation

The Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation is a private operating foundation established in 1961 to encourage and assist education and to improve and enrich the quality of life in Southeast Texas.

The Stark Foundation seeks to continue the legacy of its founders through the programs of: the Stark Museum of Art, the W.H. Stark House, the Frances Ann Lutcher Theater for the Performing Arts, and Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, as well as the Miriam Lutcher Stark Contest in Reading and Declamation, a qualified scholarship program for public high school students in Orange County, Texas. Programming is designed to create, and build upon, an appreciation within the community for the fine arts, Stark family history, the performing arts, environmental stewardship, and public speaking.

These venues, programs and activities provide the community and region with rich resources and opportunities for study and enjoyment of the arts, history and nature.