At Tuesday’s Princeton Rotary Club speech contest, two young ladies presented the audience with their takes on this year’s theme “The Magic of Rotary,” competing for the top prize.
Both contestants, known as Contestant A and Contestant B, delivered speeches on the theme, with their presentations judged by non-Rotary Club members and then tallied to determine the winner.
Caldwell County High School sophomore Allison White, who aspires to major in musical theater in college, was Contestant A. Contestant B was 16-year-old homeschooled student Isabella “Boo” Burton, a member of the Rotary Interact Club and currently attending Madisonville Community College. She is currently a city intern. Burton’s future ambitions include running for Princeton City Council and eventually becoming mayor.
Once the scores were tallied, Burton was presented a $300 check from Club President and Speech Contest Committee Co-chair, Geneva Malone.
Burton said she is thankful for the opportunity to share the wonderful contributions the Rotary Club makes to the community.
This marked Burton’s third consecutive first-place win at the local level. Last year, she advanced to the District level, where she also secured first place. She mentioned that the check she received on Tuesday will be added to her college fund.
White didn’t leave empty-handed; she received a $200 check for securing second place.
Dr. Melissa Earnest, Co-Chair of the Princeton Rotary Club Speech Contest, remarked that both contestants delivered outstanding speeches.
Burton now advances to the Sectional Contest in Mayfield next month.
The Princeton Rotary Club is set to host its first West Regional Speech Contest at noon on May 6 at the George Coon Public Library Auditorium.
Dr. Earnest explained that each year, the speech contest features a different topic selected by the president of Rotary International. The contest is open to high school students in grades 9 through 12.
