Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-23
ORATORY CONTEST
OF STAR GAINS 43%
IN MARYLAND AREA
Total of 1,438 Students in
District Enrolled for
Competition.
FOUR UNITS IN SECTION
ENTER 100 PCT. SCHOOLS
Charles, Prince Georges, Montgom-
ery.and St. Marys Counties
Eager for Trials

An increase almost equal to SO per
the Virginia district is indicated by the
first figures compiled on the Maryland
district roster Of students entered in
The Evening Star area of the National
Oratorical Contest.
A total of 1,438 students is repre-
sented by the group, enlisted from "a
high schools in four Maryland counties
which is writing orations on some as
pect of the Constitution. This figure
reveals a growth of 43 per cent since
the 1880 contest, when 1,006 pupils par
ticipated in this territory. The entries
are not yet closed to the schools in The
Star area.
Four Units in District.
The four units comprising the Mary
land district, in the second zone, or
Star area, of the National Oratorical
Contest are Charles, Prince Georges,
Montgomery and ST. Marys Counties. In
this section there are eight 100 per cent
schools. Charles County is represented
in the 100 per cent class by La Plata
High School, Milton M. Somers, prin-
T. c. Martin, principal; Indian Head
High School, Mrs. j. H. Rice, principal.
and the Glasva High School, at Bel
Alton, j. M. Bishop, principal, likewise
will supply contestants in the county
elimination. F. B. Gwynne is the SUI
perintendent Of schools.
Nicholas Orem, superintendent OF
Prince Georges County Schools, has
three 100 per cent organizations under
his supervision, the Marlboro High
School. Gardner Shugart, principal;
Brandywine High School, Miss Ruth E.
Warren, principal. and Miss Erma
Barnes, faculty sponsor, and Bowie High
School. r. G. Weagley, principal. and
Mrs. Alma Marshall, adviser. Other
schools preparing speakers in this
county are Oxon Hill High School, at
Anacostia, william T. Jobe, principal;
Mount Rainier High School, Forrest p.
Blunt. principal; Maryland Park High
School, at Seat Pleasant. William D.
Hines, principal; Surrattsville High
School, at Clinton, T. S. Klein, prtn-
cipal, and the Hyattsville High School,
K. j. Morris. principal and Miss Mona
Milimer. faculty sponsor.
In st. Mary's County the Leonard
Hall School is a 100 per cent unit
Brother Walter, who supervises the ar
rangementS for the contest within this
school, has assigned the constitutional
subjects to the entire student body Of
So pupils. The Mechanicsville High
School, James Greenwell. principal: st.
Mary's Seminary, Miss NJ Adele France,
principal; st. Marys Academy, Sister
Mary Hubert and Sister Frances Glare,
sponsors. and the Charlotte Hall School,
Col. c., r. Crowson, principal, and Prof.
j. F. Coad. adviser, are other schools en-
tered from this county to date. Miss
Lettie M. Dent Is the superintendent of
schools.
In Montgomery County.
Supt Edwin M. Broome of Montgom-
cry County rivals with his division the
100 per cent showing made by Prince
Georges County, having also three
schools thus classified. The organiza-
lions which have participated unani-
mously in this county are Damascus
High School, Edgar G. Jewell, prin-
cipal: Miss Helen Burdette. adviser:
Spring High School, E.
M. Douglass. principal, and the Bethes-
da-Chevy Chase High School, Thomas
w. Pyle, principal; Mrs. Evalene Beebe,
faculty sponsor. In the Sherwood High
School, at Sandy Spring, where A. A.
Coulter adviser, the entire senior class
Is being given the contest topics as
class work. The Gaithersburg High
School, Thomas w. Troxell, principal:
Miss Rebecca Fields, sponsor: the Rock
vile High School, L. Fletcher Schott,
principal Miss Catherine Hall, adviser,
and the Falkland High School. Maxwell
E. Burdette, principal, also are prepar-
ing contestants.
There are four preliminaries through |
which a contestant in The Star area |
must pass before reaching the national |
finals, which are held in Washington in |
May. The first is the intraschool elm |
ination, arranged by the principal of |
each organization according to his own !
plan. The representative thus selected !
next completes in the county finals, !
where the opposition is supplied by the |
other speakers from that division. The |
successful county candidate receives |
gold medal and is entered in the State |
meet. If he or she wins here the prize |
is 500 cash, and the next competition |
is The Star area finals, where an orator |
from each of the IL Star districts takes |
part. The Star winner is awarded a |
5000 cash prize and a two-and-one-
half-month trip to Europe with all ex-
penses paid, and is eligible for the ma
tional finals.