Great Falls Optimist Club

Winner of 2009 Great Falls Oratorical Contest Goes On To Win District Competition

Local eighth grade student Aimee Cho, age 14, dazzled the judges of the oratorical contest sponsored by the Great Falls Optimist Club this Spring, then went on to win the Zone and District Level competitions, receiving a total of $2000 in college scholarship funds.  Aimee bested twelve other winners from eight Optimist International Zone competitions who traveled to  Richmond for a shot at the top prize.

The theme of this year's speeches was "To me, optimism is..." and they were to be between four and five minutes. Five girls and one boy competed in the Club's contest, which was open to public and private school students up to age 16. "I couldn't believe the caliber of the speeches," said Julie Casso, one of the contest organizers. "We were all very pleasantly surprised."

  Aimee's speech, which she gave without benefit of written notes, was about looking past your troubles to see the brighter side. She gave examples of her little sister who never gave up hope of convincing her mother to let her eat candy, even after she got braces; of a close friend whose goal was to get into Thomas Jefferson High School and who vowed to reapply after being rejected; and of her uncle who still refereed volleyball games and hosted an annual holiday party while battling cancer. She said she was inspired by people in her life who remained optimistic in the face of obstacles, and who managed to see the rose and not the thorns.

Jackie Ryan, a 13-year old 7th grader who placed third in the local contest, spoke about her older sister's experience with a sports injury that ended her lacrosse career and dashed her hopes for a college scholarship. In spite of having her jaw wired shut, being limited to a liquid diet, struggling to speak intelligibly through clenched teeth, and having difficulty finding a summer job, her sister maintained good spirits throughout her recovery. Seeing her sister rise above her difficulties gave Jackie a commitment to a more positive lifestyle.

"This contest is wonderful on so many levels," said Club President Lisa Jackson.  "It's wonderful that the participants have this opportunity to give a speech that they wrote, and to present it to several adult audiences. What great practice for the future. It's wonderful that they win scholarship money. It's also important that they think about what optimism means to them; about the value of an optimistic perspective on life. And, of course, it's especially wonderful for us to know that the winner of our local contest went on to win at the district level. We couldn't be more proud!"