By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
SPEECH, SPEECH
Ripon High senior wins Rotary contest
Ripon Speech DSC 4126 top LT
Three Ripon High School students and one from Ripon Christian High School competed in the Rotary Speech Contest at the Spring Creek Golf and Country Club. Club President Zac Crawford presents the winner Ty Johns with a check for $125. Ryan Kirkpatrick received $100 for second place, Joshua Angel, the only junior in the contest, won $75 for third place and Jacklin Harms of Ripon Christian took home a check for fourth place. - photo by GLENN KAHL

Four Ripon high school students competed in the Rotary Club’s annual speech contest at the Spring Creek Golf and Country Club taking home $350 between them.  

The winner, Ty Johns a Ripon High senior, is going on to the Area Speech Contest to be held in Ripon, competing with the winners from surrounding Rotary clubs.

“I have seen people’s lives change through communication.  When we come together as a group we can do amazing things,” Johns noted in his speech.

Three of the speakers were from Ripon High and one from Ripon Christian.  They were Jacklin Harms, Ripon Christian, and the three from RHS were Joshua Angel, Ryan Kirkpatrick and Ty Johns. 

Johns won the contest and received a check for $125.  Kirkpatrick was second winning $100.  Angel took third place getting a check for $75 and Harms received $50 for fourth place.

Top speakers from Manteca, Lathrop and Tracy clubs will be pitted against each other at the Ripon Library the first week of March.  

The subject of the speeches was “Changing Lives through Humanitarian and Educational Service.”  They were all judged by independent Rotarians who noted everything from projection to content and a closely watched time limit on their five minute speeches.  If the speakers were beyond or short of the expected time limits they were marked down.  Johns was the only one of the four speakers to ace the time factor speaking for exactly five minutes.

Johns had also stepped out in front of the lectern to deliver his speech as had Ryan Kirkpatrick.

The district speech contest – including the winner of the area contest – is scheduled for March 29.  The final contest for District 5220 is being held in Lake Tahoe in May with the winner set to win $1,300.