Those placing at the District Contest were (second from left) Lana Shargani who won and (second from right) is Julia Reinman who took third place.
Speaking on the topic of “How Optimism Has Guided Me Through Trying Times,” Lana Shargani won first at the District Level on May 4 and a $2,500 scholarship to the college of her choice.
Shargani spoke about the fires in the Palisades and her displacement during them them. By taking first at the Optimist Pacific Southwest District Oratorial contest held in Simi Valley, she will move on to the Regional/World Championships Contests in Saint Louis, July 17-18.
This year three students qualified for the District contest from the Palisades Club, Shargani, Sydney Litt and Julia Rienman. Litt was sick and unable to compete, but Reinman, a freshman at Palisades High School, came in third and won a $1,000 scholarship. Her topic was the pollution of our planet. Since she did not move on, she will be able to participate next year.
The Pacific Palisades Optimist Club annually sponsors the local contest, and Susie DeWeese chaired the event for the Optimists. Her exceptional coaching has helped prior competing Palisades students excel in the subsequent regional and nationwide contests.
DeWeese has managed the Palisades’ Club Oratorical Contest for many years and coached several nationwide finalists including Julia Abbott, the 2023 National Optimist Oratorical Contest winner who went on to place second in the Optimist worldwide competition.
The Optimist Oratorical Contest started in 1928 and is the longest-running program sponsored by Optimist International. The contest is designed for young people to gain experience in public speaking, perfect self-expression, gain self-assurance, improve communication skills, and provide them with the opportunity to compete for a college scholarship.
Students are scored on poise, content of speech, delivery and presentation, and overall effectiveness. The speech must be four to five minutes long. Contestants going over or under are not be cautioned, but are penalized one point for each 15 seconds or fraction of over or under the allotted time.
DeWeese and husband Rick’s family home was lost in the Palisades’ Wildfires and were among almost two-thirds of the active Palisades Optimist Club members to lose their homes. Although devastated by the Wildfires, they remind themselves of the Optimist Creed which, in part, says “To be so strong that no one can disturb your peace of mind.”
Lana Shargani’s parents listened as their daughter Lana took first place.
Julie Rienman with her parents at the Optimist Oratorical Contest.