Above / Ryan Park, pictured here with Wayne Fischer, took first place at the Illinois State Oratorical Contest.
Ryan Park, a junior at Naperville Central High School, earned first place at the Illinois State Oratorical Contest on March 4, held at the Peoria Civic Center.
Park will receive a $2,000 college tuition scholarship. He also will represent Illinois in the National Contest involving all 50 states, which will be held in Indianapolis on April 21-23.
Park competed with 25 participants in the semi-final contest round. Regen Macwan, a home-schooled sophomore, and Nicole Tong, a Naperville North freshman, came in second in their respective semi-final group. Shivansh Gupta, a Neuqua Valley High School freshman, finished third in his group.
The speech contest regarding the U.S. Constitution is sponsored annually by the American Legion. The four contestants from Naperville were sponsored locally by Naperville Post 43. This is the sixth time a contestant sponsored by the Naperville Post has won the State contest level.
For information on the 2018 Contest visit www.naperlegion.org and click the link for “Oratorical,” or contact Contest Chairman for Naperville Post 43, Don Hennessy at gddh55@sbcglobal.net or phone (630)-355-4679.
Story and photo submitted by Don Hennessy.
Find out more about the American Legion that comes with dinner…
Members and friends of American Legion Naperville Post 43 are invited to attend the Annual St. Patrick’s Day Post 43 Dinner beginning during the 6PM social hour on Sat., March 18.
After the Social Hour, dinner is served at 7PM; with the program to follow. As in the past, this dinner will be held at Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 and it is open to the public.
“The dinner will be prepared by our own Kendall Cooks and will be our very special Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner,” said Wayne Fischer. “Homemade desserts will again be prepared by Lee Lindberg.”
The dinner price is $14 per person, payable at the door.
Though a formal program is not planned, members of the McNulty School of Irish Dance will provide entertainment for the evening.
Confirm reservations no later than Wednesday, March 15.
The dinner with social hour always is open to the public. This dinner will be limited to a maximum of 180 reservations, so early reservations are advised. RSVP to wayne.l.fischer@gmail.com or call him at (630) 240-8868 or any of our Post 43 Officers.
With appreciation to all who plan to attend, Fischer added, “Thanks again for supporting all programs of Post 43. Your personal support enables all of us to maintain a strong connection with our Active Duty Military, our fellow Veterans, our community and our youth.”
