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Pictured left to right: Rob Kracht, Floyd Humphreys, Jennifer Landry, Brad Gerbel, Brenda & Larry Kracht, Marta Radcliffe, Dennis Dorman, Cynthia Kosciuczyk, Marian Donahue.

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Many people rank public speaking just above the fear of heights and pit viper bites. That was not the case for the ten students who participated in the 49th Coronado Optimist’s Oratory Contest on March 2nd in the Coronado Library Winn Room. The rhetorical topic, which all thought quite challenging, was Just Imagine a World Without Boundaries.

The room quieted as the student addressed the boundary theme. The judges reviewed content, poise, presentation, confidence, and speech quality. Pride and enthusiasm hovered over the presenter’s family and friends.

Indeed, there were rhetorical differences between contestants, but the speaker’s confidence blended across all participants. Angst and crowd-fears were carefully managed and overshadowed by their self-assuredness.
One thought to themself what an enjoyable learning experience this contest provides and how speaking skills would be so essential in their future in academic, career, and informal settings.

The contest ended; judges left the room to score the individual presentations. Parents gave hugs to their son or daughter and congratulations were shared with families and contestants. When the judges returned the Coronado Optimist Club President Dennis Dorman and President-elect Robert Kracht presented each student a well-earned Certificate of Participation and then presented the Gold Medallion to Fatima Morfin, the Silver Medallion to Aidan McKerring, and the Bronze Medallions to Valeria Lopez. Fatima and Aidan now move on to the district Zone 2 contest. Congratulations to all!

Judges for the contest were Paul Lull, George Kunberger and Mike Croll, with Sue Cargill serving as timekeeper; Marta Radcliffe and Jon Jacobson as greeters/curators; Pat Kelly, Sergeant-At-Arms; Lee Cargill, photographer; Mike Lavin, contest scribe; and Gene Rathswohl, contest coordinator – Optimist Club members all. And special thanks goes to Courtnie Marshall, Sacred Heart’s Language Arts teacher who worked so diligently to prepare the students.

MeOptimism Declaimed, Wonderfully: Fourteen eager students, aged eleven to fourteen, from Sacred Heart Parish School and Coronado Middle School, spoke on the topic Is There A Fine Line Between Reality And Optimism? at the Coronado Optimists 48th Annual Oratorical Contest on February 27th in the Library’s Winn Room. All the students carried themselves well and dealt with this seemingly dry topic with winning charm, vivacity, and persuasive sincerity to the delight parents, siblings, and Optimists filling the Coronado Library’s Winn Room. The Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medallion winners were: Logan McKerring, Valeria Quiroga, and Marietta Renison. Bravos to all!

There were many memorable moments in the students’ 4 – 5 minute speeches. They quoted many historic optimists including Henry Ford, “…If you think you can or you can’t you are right,” “…Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently,” and added their own insightful aphorisms, “…Reality is life, optimism makes life better,” “…Reality is the facts of life that surround you, but optimism is a positive lens through which you view your reality,” “…Things happen because of our optimism in ourselves and in others,” “…If Jack can climb the beanstalk, you can get your job…,” “…it was through optimism and family love that we got through that reality…,” “….Optimism is a state of mind...that can steer you to accept any reality…,” and “I am optimistic that I have a chance of winning this contest today, and that is my way of showing optimism in reality.” Coronado

Optimist Club President Carla Fargo and President-elect Dennis Dorman presented each student a well-earned Certificate of Participation and thanked the parents and teachers for encouraging their students to enter the contest. All were very proud of their students, daughters and sons who are terrific young adults with bright futures

Judges for the contest were Mike Lavin, Paul Lull, and George Kunberger, with Sue Cargill serving as timekeeper; Marta Radcliffe, Julia Turpit, and Molly McKay as greeters/curators; Pat Kelly, Sergeant-At-Arms; Lee Cargill, photographer; Irish Flynn, contest scribe; and Gene Rathswohl, contest coordinator – Optimist Club members all.

The Wall! Immigrants!! Climate Change!! Violence and conflicts!! Poverty!! Security!! The list of human concerns goes on and on. What is the reality of these issues? Can we be optimistic about the future? Coronado school students are urged to express their own thoughts and concerns in the 2019 Coronado Optimists Oratorical Contest on the topic Is There A Fine Line Between Optimism And Reality?

This is the 48th year of the Coronado Optimists’ contest and will be held in the Winn Room at the Coronado Library on Wednesday, February 27th at 3:30 – 6:00p.m. The contest is an enjoyable but serious public-speaking opportunity for Coronado students to explore why they are so confident and optimistic about their future. All are invited to attend the contest, especially the students’ families and friends, and be amazed with the students’ insights and the quality of their speeches.

All Coronado school students, including home-schooled students, under the age of 19 as of October 1, 2018 (there is no minimum age) are eligible to participate and encouraged to apply. Students are urged to work with his/her teacher to prepare their speech.

The students’ 4 – 5 minute speeches are judged on content, presentation, poise, and overall effectiveness. All the students receive participation certificates and the top three students receive medallions and cash awards. The top two students can go on to compete at the Optimists zone and district level contests in April for college scholarships up to $2,500; the district level winner can participate in the Optimist Oratorical World Championship in July for a college scholarship up to $22,500.

The Application form, which includes all the contest rules, is below. It is also available from Gene Rathswohl, the contest coordinator, at erathswohl@san.rr.com.

Completed application forms should be mailed to:

Gene Rathswohl
924 Eighth Street
Coronado, CA 92118

Applications must be received by Friday, February 22, 2019.

A maximum of 20 students can participate, so the earlier an application is submitted the better. Feel free to contact Gene with any questions you have regarding the contest.

(image above is from the 2018 Oratorical Contest)

This morning we had a special presentation by Ben Ruef.  His mother, Julie, is an Optimist Club member.  Ben was one of the lucky kids who was mentored by our own Optimist, the late Stan Searfus.  Ben produced a spectacular tribute video of Stan and gave us a showing.  Excellent and inspiring work, Ben.  You've created a lasting legacy for one of the good guys, our friend Stan.