Nikhita Gopisetty will advance to area level contest

Published in the February 17 – March 1, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Staff Report

Nikhita Gopisetty

Nikhita Gopisetty

Nikhita Gopisetty of Oakwood High School took first place in the Richard D. King Annual Youth Speech Contest held Feb. 3. She received $100 and will advance to the Area level held March 3. Channing Bushman of Oakwood High School earned second and received $50, while Austin Flower of Central High School was recognized for third and received $25.

The Rotary Club of Morgan Hill together with Rotary Clubs of District 5170 sponsored the contest, which was held at the Morgan Hill Community Cultural Center.

Dan Makinstir, host and lead Rotarian for this event, said this year the seven student participants represented all four Morgan Hill high schools: Ann Sobrato, Oakwood, Live Oak and Central.

Through the work of David Lister, a new electronic scoring system was implemented. This new system prevented lengthy scoring issues and eliminated a tie score between two or more contestants. The electronic scoring enabled the team of judges to enter real-time scores for each of the contestants. Those scores were automatically tabulated on the Head Teller’s spreadsheet to make the final tabulation within minutes.

The team of Rotarians that supported Dan Makinster’s efforts and took on the details of timing, judging and supporting the behind the scenes efforts of launching the contest were John Bautista, Leslie Carmichael, Jerry Dommer, Tom Fry, David Lister, Roger Malech, and Ken Murray.
The theme for the speech was: “Be a gift to the World.” Each contestant had four minutes to incorporate the theme and at least one aspect of the Rotarian four-way test.

The speech was judged for content and presentation. Further, the content needed to be focused, clear, accurate, and delivered in a logical, organized, and persuasive manner. Articulation, body language, creativity, and effectiveness was also factored into the final speaker’s score.
This year, some speakers touched on having personal aspirations to lead the charge in being a gift to the world by service, while others used the opportunity to express gratitude toward gifts of the world that currently exist.

In the end, while there was one “winner” all seven of contestants are sure to make a powerful and positive impact in our future, Makinstir said.