Pacific Ridge School Ninth Grade Students Exercise Best Practices in Public Speaking at Third Annual Oratory Contest

Carlsbad, CA, March 05, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Pacific Ridge School (www.pacificridge.org), an independent, non-profit school that fosters academic excellence, ethical responsibility and global engagement to prepare students for college and a purposeful life, held its third annual Oratory Contest on Tuesday, February 23, 2010. Ninth grade students presented formal speeches to students, faculty and friends of Pacific Ridge School on topics that stimulated ethical questions.

Before a panel of judges comprised of friends of the community, students were scored on their delivery, enunciation, displayed knowledge and credibility of the subject, clear understanding of the argument, and ability to connect with the audience. First, second and third place winners of the contest will receive acknowledgment on the Pacific Ridge Oratory Contest plaque in the school lobby, as well as scholarship money ranging from $50 to $200 to be applied to the cost of their 9th grade trip to China. A full list of this year’s finalists and their respective presentation topics are below.

First Place Winner & $200 Scholarship Recipient: Dillon Lerach - The Ugly American Perpetuated by English Only
Second Place Winner & $100 Scholarship Recipient: Sheyda Shapouri - Banning the Solution
Third Place Winner & $50 Scholarship Recipient: Ciara Corbeil – One Size Does Not Fit All
Sasha Bechtler-Levin - A Picture Worth a Thousand Criticisms?
Kimberly Chang-Haines - One Two Many [sic]
Kevin Chu - Grow Some Organs
Michaela Fisher - Picture Perfect
Samiya Ijaz – Why Sports?
Emily Leposky – Seeing is Not Believing
Niraj Madhani - The Danger is Close
Hunter McComas - The Ongoing Debate about Our Pledge of Allegiance
Akash Patel - Cultural Awareness Through Literature
Madison Sparber - Establishing Language in America
Kevin Xu - One Easy Way to Lose Your Money

For more information on specific student projects, call (760) 918-0792. For more information on Pacific Ridge School, visit http://www.pacificridge.org.
About Pacific Ridge School:
Opened in the fall of 2007, Pacific Ridge School is a non‐profit, independent middle and high school located in North County, San Diego. With the distinctive mission of building a community that fosters academic excellence, ethical responsibility and global engagement, Pacific Ridge offers a first-rate educational experience to prepare students for college and a purposeful life. For more information, visit: http://www.pacificridge.org. Pacific Ridge School does not discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, sexual orientation, race, creed, or national origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and other administered programs.

###