Oratorical contests scheduled Thursday and Nov. 26

The seventy-fifth annual American Legion high school oratorical contests are scheduled on Thursday, Nov. 20, and Wednesday, Nov. 26.
The contest at Marion County R-2 High School in Philadelphia will be at 3 p.m. Thursday, and the contest at Palmyra High school will be at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 26.
The program is sponsored by American Legion Boots-Dickson Post No. 174 in Palmyra with Bob Ravenscraft serving as chairman. The purpose of the contest is to create interest in and respect for the basic principles of our form of government, Ravenscraft said.
Elimination contests are held in the schools, counties, districts and zones before the winners compete in the state finals, which will be on Feb. 21, 2009, in Jefferson City.
Contestants must be students under age 20 and at least in ninth grade. They are required to deliver a prepared oration of between five and six minutes, which must be their own work. The penalty for plagiarism is disqualification.
The public is invited to attend these free contests to provide an audience for the contestants.