Eight district students were chosen as finalists to advance to the 23rd Annual Gardere Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition, set for 11 a.m., Jan. 16, 2015, at the Majestic Theatre.
In eloquent speeches, 14 district fourth- and fifth-graders shared with the audience what they felt Dr. King would have said in his acceptance speech if he were alive and won the Nobel Prize today.
Each of the students wrote original essays and competed at the campus level for the opportunity to represent their school in the districtwide competition. Each student is judged on stage presence, delivery, content interpretation and memorization.
The students advancing to the final competition are:
- Kywin Brown, fourth grade, Wilmer-Hutchins Elementary
- Serenity Dugan, fourth grade, Thomas L. Marsalis Elementary
- Jalien Hedgeman, fifth grade, Clara Oliver Elementary
- Walker Homan, fifth grade, Harry C. Withers Elementary
- Etana King, fifth grade, John Neely Bryan Elementary
- Camilla Meza, fifth grade, Thomas Tolbert Elementary
- Hannah Wesley, fifth grade, Charles Rice Learning Center
- Aisha Young, fifth grade, William Brown Miller Elementary
The MLK Oratory Competition is sponsored by the Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP law firm. The Jan. 16 final competition is free and open to the public.
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- Camilla Meza, 5th grade, Thomas Tolbert Elementary
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- Walker Homan, 5th grade, Harry C. Withers Elementary
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- Etana King, 5th grade, John Neely Bryan Elementary
