Audrey McNeal, a Junior from Harrison High School, earned a very respectable third place finish in the fourth and final round of the 2019 American Legion Department of Georgia’s 82nd U.S. Constitution High School Oratorical Scholarship Contest. The contest was held Sun., Mar. 3rd at Mercer University in Macon. McNeal had qualified for the final round after winning all three preliminary Legion contests for Post 304/North Cobb on Jan. 19th, District 5 on Feb. 2nd, and Area 4 on Feb. 16th, all held in Acworth. Her competition at Mercer consisted of student winners of the Legion’s three other Areas around the state.
For Ms. McNeal’s 3rd Place performance, she received the American Legion Bronze Oratory Medal and Legion Certificate, along with a cash award of $1,000, and other prizes. Her cumulative cash award winnings from all four contests totaled $2,000. Ms. McNeal’s school sponsor at Harrison has been Social Studies Chair Bobby Thompson.
The official Order of Finish, with 7 distinguished Judges scoring:
1st Place (Gold American Legion Oratory Medal + Cash Award: $2,000): Mattilyn Winburn, 12th Grade, Winburn Academy, Bainbridge, GA – Area 2 Winner; District 2 Winner; Post 30-Albany, GA Representative.
2nd Place (Silver American Legion Oratory Medal + Cash Award: $1,500): Hope Turner, Turner Homeschool Academy, Tyrone, GA – Area 3 Winner; District 9 Winner; Post 307-Cumming, GA Winner.
3rd Place (Bronze American Legion Oratory Medal + Cash Award: $1,000): Audrey McNeal, 11th Grade, Harrison High School, Kennesaw, GA – Area 4 Winner; District 5 Winner; Post 304/North Cobb, GA Winner.
4th Place (Bronze American Legion Oratory Medal + Cash Award: $500): Samantha Glover, 12th Grade, Johnson County High School, Wrightsville, GA – Area 1 Representative; District 6 Winner; Post 44-Wrightsville, GA Representative.
This was the second consecutive state championship for Ms. Winburn. She will again represent Georgia in the Legion’s National Finals, to be held April 5-7 in Indianapolis, IN. She will initially compete in the Quarter Final Round among over 50 contestants from around the nation and world. In the 2018 Nationals, Ms. Winburn won in the Quarter Final Round, advancing to the Semifinal Round. College scholarships of $18,000 (1st Place), $16,000 (2nd Place), and $14,000 (3rd Place), in addition to smaller scholarships received during preliminary heats, will be awarded.
The American Legion Department of Georgia consists of 4 Areas, 12 districts, and 222 local Posts.
For more information, please visit http://departmentofgeorgiaoratorical.weebly.com, or contact: Chuck Polk, chuckah@icloud.com, (770) 855-6201.
