DATE: March 16, 2022

Contact: Julie Wilkerson, Public Relations Chair, [email protected] or 478-731-2118 

Three Macon Rotary Clubs held a speech contest for high school students on Tuesday, March 15 at the Bibb County School District Professional Learning Center. The contest was open to public, private, and home-schooled high school students throughout Macon-Bibb County. 

Contestants presented a 3-4 minute memorized speech on the topic ‘’Serve to Change Lives’ or ‘The Rotary 4 Way Test’.

This year’s winners were:

· Caitlin Nelson       First place                  Senior at Central Hight School

· Leo Zhan               Second place             Senior at Howard High School

· Shniyah George    Third place                 Sophomore at Central Hight School

Scholarship prizes were awarded, and the winners were invited to participate in a Zone Level competition on April 2 in Milledgeville with an opportunity to advance to the District Competition later that month. Additional scholarship funds are available as students advance.

Contest judges were Jim Crisp of the Macon Rotary Club, Charles Richardson of the Downtown Macon Rotary Club, and Kendra Russell of the North Macon Rotary Club.

“This is a signature Rotary event representing collaboration among the three clubs and showcasing talented young people in our community,” said Jim Crisp. “The speeches were inspiriting.”