Area girls named winners of Oratorical Contest
Submitted by Arlene Lolley
Bill Geary, the American Legion 10th District Americanism chairman, recently conducted and announced the 2011 Oratorical Contest winners.
Azza Cohen from Highland Park Post 145 was the first-place winner who participated in a two-part speech on the Constitution.
The speeches covered the visionary articles of checks and balances; our rights and the freedom of the press and the rights to publish what we think; and our rights of freedom of speech, assembly and religious beliefs. Azza also placed first in the 2010 competitions.
The first portion was an eight- to 10-minute oral presentation on the American Constitution and an additional three to five minutes on the 27th Amendment, which was selected that morning.
Natalie Krajewski, the semifinalist, was chosen to recreate her speech at the Jan. 21 10th District meeting in North Chicago. She will go on to the next step of the competition Jan. 29 in Rockfalls. Natalie was the 2010 semifinalist in the American Legion Oratorical.
Azza will be the guest speaker at the Feb. 18 10th District meeting in Libertyville and will participate in the state competitions March 5 in Peoria for a chance to win $18,000.
Both girls did very well representing the Highland Park Post 145, and Grayslake Post 659 and the Mundelein ALA Unit 867 in the 2010 Girls State session.
Out of 500 participants, Azza was elected as Attorney General at the 2010 Girls State session, won the Highland Park Mock Trial competition and was one of six students to travel to Belfast, U.K., on a Rotary International-sponsored trip during spring break.
Azza took first place in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Audio Essay Contest, was awarded a scholarship to Space Camp from Adler Planetarium and Com-Ed Essay Contest and was nominated by HPHS and selected for Princeton University Creative Arts and Humanities Symposium.
She is a teaching assistant for Acting I/II and Independent Study about Ethical Issues in Science and Literature. Azza was one of 80 seniors selected in the nation to attend University of Chicago Oriental Institute Docent Training on Persia with Abbas Alizadeh, and attended University of Chicago “Science and Art Resurrect Meresamun” seminar, the United Nations/World Bank Youth Conference in Washington, D.C., Brown University “Leadership and Global Engagement” course, “Symposium on Social Action” on scholarship, honors Latin, Northwestern University Center for Talent Development.
Natalie Krajewski is the Grayslake North school congressional debate captain and math team secretary, member of the girls track and field throwing team, and participates in martial arts.
She has been a church/community children’s worship teacher and volunteered at PADS for close to 13 years. She was selected by the Grayslake Post 659 and sponsored by the Mundelein American Legion Auxiliary 867 to participate at ALL, a Girls State program, where she learned many facets of the political and campaigning arena for the House of Representatives.
The village of Grayslake, under the direction of Mayor Rhett Taylor, financially supported Natalie’s political educational endeavors.
American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary of the 10th District Post and Unit members who participated were from Grayslake Post 659, Gurnee Post 771, Highland Park Post 145, Lake Region Post 903, Mundelein Unit 867, Wauconda Post 911 and Waukegan/ Homer Dahringer Post 281.
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