Evening star., 1928-04-01
ORATORS PREPARE
FOR HOME STRETCH
Contestants in This Area to
Mark Time During the
Present Week.

With no mterschool competitions
scheduled for this week In The Stars
nth national oratorical contest area.
the contenderS for the three month
European tour the right TO represent
this territory in the national finals, and
The lesser prizes offered in the various
elimination meets staged In the Dis
trict of Columbia. Maryland and Vir-
ginia, will mark time before plunging
into the home stretch" Of the local
campaign, which ends IN The Star
finals May 10.
Last week the Ave group meetings OF
the Maryland district were held at
Hyattsville, Rockville. Ieonardtown, La
Plata and Marlboro. to determine the
contestant field In the Maryland finals.
The winner of each OF these meets Will
have a place In that districts finalS TO
compete for the Maryland champion
shin. an additional award of $50. and
the right to represent that State in
The Star finals. The Ave contenderS
for the Maryland districts honors. each
of whom already has won the right to
an award of $40, are Miss Mary Eugenia
Hardy of the Tacoma-Silver Spring
High School, the only girl left in the
Maryland contest: b. +. Dennis OF the
John Muldowney of Leonard Hall
School, Ieonardtown; John Dudley
Eigges of the La Plata High School
and Llewellyn NJ. Heigham OF the OXon
Hill High School.
Elimination Process.
Participation in the contest this week
will be confined to individual schools
of the District of Columbia, and the
enrolled counties of Virginia. which
have not vet chosen their spokeSmen.
Eastern and Central High Schools al
ready have held their semi-finals and
each Of those institutions Is awaiting
Its finals with Ave picked orators.
chosen through a process OF elimina-
ton from q large field of entrants.
Eastern will choose its champion FOR
combat in The Star finals Thursday.
April 10, and Central will select its
spokesman in its finals to be held Tues
day. April II.
western. Mckinley Technical and
Business High Schools have not yet
held their semi-finals and compare
lively large fields OF contestants still
remain in the running in those dis
tricts. Western plans to reduce Its field
to five in its semi-finals on April l8.
and Business has scheduled its semi
however, viii select its five contenders
for its own championship on April II.
When all the schools of the Virginia
district have chosen their respective
representatives they viii be divided into
five groups for further eliminations, just
as the Maryland schools were grouped.
The winners of These group meetings
will contend for the Virginia district
championship and the right TO enter
The Star finals. The first Virginia
group contest will be staged at Falls
Church. Thursday. April IL. and the
subsequent group meets will be held al
Alexandra, April l3: at Harndon. A'rn
is: at Leesburg. April ID, and at WAR
renton, April 20.
Private and ParochiaI Schools.
Shortly after the Virginia group phase
is completed, the schools OF the private
and parochial district. embracing the
private and parochial schools of the
District OF Columbia. will enter the
same phase of the National contest.
The first group meet of this district
will be held April "a at Mcmahon Han.
Catholic University The second and
third group meets of this district will
be held April 25 and % at CASTOR Hall.
Georgetown University. and at Friends
Meeting House, 1909 / street. respec-
lively The three winners Of the private
and parochial group contests viii COM
pete for the championship Of that dis
trict Nav 4. and the winner will enter
The Star finals.
Among the recent school winners I'm
preliminary contests were: Miss Kath-
crime Hummer of the Fioris Vocational
School at Herndon. Va. and Miss
Margaret c. Chadwick OF the st. Pauls
Academy Of Washington
Miss Hummer. i8-year-old senior. won
the right TO represent the Floris Voca-
tinnal School with her 0ration on Our
Constitution" in which she developed
one OF the two assigned themes for the
Fifth National Oraiorirsl Contest Miss
Hummer is the daughter of Richard
Fumr1er. storekeener cf Herrdon and
sb" is the basket ball coach of her
school az
Miss Chadwick. is-year-old daughter
of Mrs Mary W. chadwick ilea
Meridian place. will represent ST psuI's
WIN her speech on The Present sic.
niheance OF the Constitution" A
Junior at st. Paul's. Miss Chadw,cL
p'ans TO enter the business world vhan
Sne mas completed her studies. Az nres
ent she Is captain OF the baske, han
team In her school.