Rotary Honors Speech, Music, Visual Arts Student Achievement

Winners in the 74th annual Four-Way Speech Contest sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River were honored at the Beck Center on April 2. They are (from left) Grace Dill, Ella Chanter, Haley Schultz, and Ava Wahl. All students are from Lakewood High School.

Winners of Rotary’s annual Speech, Music, and Visual Arts Contest were honored at an awards ceremony and reception April 2 at the Beck Center for the Arts.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River, the competition annually showcases the incredible talents of students attending one of five high schools – Lakewood, Lutheran West, Magnificat, Rocky River, and St. Edward.

Speech contest first place winner is Grace Dill. Also honored were Ella Chanter, second place, Haley Schultz, third place, and Ava Wahl, fourth place. All students are from Lakewood High School.

Speech contest finals were at the Rotary club’s March 25 meeting. Speeches must be of original content and be based on “The Four-Way Test of Rotary” which asks, “Is it the truth, Is it fair to all concerned, Will it build goodwill and better friendships, and Will it be beneficial to all concerned?”

This is the 74th year for the club’s speech competition.

Music contest first place winner is Kira Marjanovic, Lakewood, who performed “Sonata for Trumpet and Piano” by Kent Kennan on the trumpet. Nadine El Dabh, Rocky River, placed second; Zearatus Perry, Lakewood, placed third; and Breslin McCrae, Lakewood, received an honorable mention.

The music competition follows the judging standards set by the Ohio Music Education Association.

Visual arts winners were Chloe Becker, Magnificat, first place; Connor Starowesky, Lakewood, second place; and Isabella Dombrowski, Lakewood, third place. Honorable mentions went to Natalie Costello, Lakewood; Phoebe Dunn, Rocky River; and Zed Skinner, Lakewood.

Over 90 pieces, of numerous styles employing various media, were submitted by all five schools. A jury of artists selected outstanding works of art that met the contest requirements. From this gallery, judges chose the award winners. The selected entries are displayed in the Jean Bulicek Galleria at the Beck Center.

“This annual event is a wonderful way to acknowledge the talents of our youth,” stated Ed Gallagher, Beck Center director of education,“ and the quality work of the participants truly shows that the arts and creativity are alive and well in our community.”

All winners received congratulations and prize money from Rotarian and master of ceremonies Charles Eversole. This is the twenty-second year that the Beck Center has collaborated with the Rotary club for this competition.