The Mena weekly star., 1918-02-28
GREAT CROWD AT
 SCHOOL CONTESTS
Auditorium of Baptist Church Inad- equate to Accommodate Those Who Sought To Attend Polk
 County Educational Event

It was most inspiring sight or Friday night when thousand anc more pupils, patrons and teachers arose in a body at the BaptisI church and joined in singing America. The occasion was the Second Annual Polk County Educa- tional Contests, the program oi which was to have begun at 7:4E o'clock, but long before that hour standing room even was at pre- mium in the large auditorium of the church, and there were many turned away because the building was filled to overilowing. Following the singing of America, the audi ence remained standing while the Rev. F. F. Harrell of the M. E. church, South, pronounced the in- vocation.
 The contests Friday night were in reading, declamation and vocal and instrumental music. profiting by the experience of last year, the con- test this year was arranged by grades, so that pupils of the grades were not placed in competition with the pupils of the High schools. Thus class A included the pupils up thru ihe fifth grade, class B those in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades, and class c, the pupils of the High schools of the county.
 There were four girls in the read IT, contest in class A, as follows: {: Miss Flora Barton of Inc Cove schools, Miss Ethel McWilliam of the Acorn school, Miss Frances Finks of the Central school, Mena, and Miss Mary Nunes of the Gran his schools. First place went to Miss Mary Nunes who read, "A Yankee in Love. Miss Ethel McWilliam of the Acorn schools was the winner of second honors with her reading, "Remorse'.
 Tn the contest in Reclamation in Glass A there were three entrants: Dale Barron of the Acorn schools, Joe Emerson, Jr., of the Mena schools and Jesse Pardue of the Hat ton schools. First honors in this class went to Dale Barron, who used Patrick Henry's speech Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death, as his Reclamation. Joe Emerson. Jr., with "1ngersol at the Tomb of Ma poleon', won second place, and Jesse pardue with the New South" did so exceedingly well that it must have been difilcult for the judges to reach decision.
 Miss Ethel Anderson of the Oak Ridge school, Miss MazelIe Cross land of the Gan school, Miss Viola Frachiseur of the Ozark schools and Miss Lena Hilton of the Mena Gen. tral school were the contestants in readings of class B. Miss Lena Hil- ton was awarded first place with her reading, "The New Church Or gan, and second place went to Miss Crossland of the Gam school, who read patriotic selection entitled, My Lad and Your Ladn.
 One of the keenest contests was that in Reclamation in class B, in which the following took part: Roy Schneider of the Oak Ridge school, Russel Cox of the Mena Central school, Charles Burnett of the Acorn school Wellington Hamby of the Womac Spur school, and John Grawfordof the Dallas school When inc judges grades were totaled and averaged it was found that three lads had tied for first place. They were Russell Cox with Lincoln's Gettysburg address, Wellington Hamby of Womac school with "Op- portunities of Scholar. and John Crawford of Dallas with We Serve Y The tie was decided Saturday morning when the three contestants spoke again in the High school au- ditorium, first place this time going io Wellington Hamby and second to Russell Cox. Inadvertently, the judges on Friday night had an nounced Roy Schneider as winner of the second place, and medal had been awarded to him accord ingIy.
 nn the readings in Glass G first place went to Miss Josephine Allen