Solon Economou

Cape students in Lions speech competition

Students from three local high schools competed Wednesday night for the Lions Youth Speech Competition at Jake Rooney's restaurant in Harwich.  The event, hosted by the Dennis-Harwich Lions Club and emceed by Dennis Fire Chief Mark Dellner, featured the speech competition winners from their respective high schools.  I was honored to have been asked to be one of the judges.  The students' assigned theme was "How can my generation contribute to the world we will inherit?"

The first speaker, Jamie Diehl of Hyannis, a junior from Cape Cod Technical High School, took a realistic view of the world and noted that the concept of family is deteriorating in America, with marriages down and out-of-wedlock births up.  She said the current trend of the decline of the family must be reversed.  Jamie stressed the value of "character over convenience, excellence over what is easy, principal over popularity, and truth over temptation".

Patrick Blute of Harwich, a senior from Harwich High School, gave his presentation as a challenge in a "Mission Impossible" format.  He said, "This is a complicated assignment.  Your generation has been entrusted with a valuable and vulnerable planet. It is up to you, agents, to implement and carry out a strategy so that your generation does not destroy this Earth, but enhances it."  Patrick had a nice touch at the end where he said "This presentation will self-destruct in five seconds."

Stephanie Braman of South Dennis, a junior at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, spoke about the global conditions that must be addressed.  She said, "Planet Earth is a mess...in a short time my generation will be expected to bear the weight of the world on our shoulders...a daunting task, it may seem to most, to inherit a world of chaos and calamity, but my generation is the generation of change."

Scoring on a point system, Steph Braman emerged as the winner, with both runners-up coming very close.  Steph was presented a $100 check by Lions Club President Sandy Fife and Master of Ceremonies Mark Dellner.  The runners-up each received $50.

Steph plans to go to Brandeis or Tufts to become a doctor and travel to third-world countries to set up free health care facilities.  Pat plans to go to Brown University to study Film/Media and Architecture.  Jamie plans to study business and to set up a graphic design business.

From here, Steph steps up to the regional Lions competition at 11am, Saturday, December 8, at Cape Cod Community College.