Murrieta Valley Sophomore Wins Rotary Speech Competition

Murrieta Valley High School Sophomore Cassidy Thornburg took the top prize in the Rotary Club of Murrieta’s Four-Way Test Speech Contest March 13 winning over nine other candidates.  With the first place, Cassidy won $300 and the opportunity to compete in the Rotary District 5330 competition next month.

In second place in the competition held at the Murrieta Valley Unified School District headquarters was Jessica Kim, another Murrieta Valley High School sophomore, while Rotary’s third place went to Ingrid Adams, a freshman from Great Oak High School. 

The Rotary Four-Way Test, which was created in the early 1930s has been used by businesses, industry, government groups, civic organizations, schools and colleges. An ethical tenet in today’s culture, it states:

Of the things that we think, say or do:

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Four-Way Test Speech contestants are to address topics of current interest and importance and are to include and use concepts from the Four-Way Test as methods of discussion or analysis in the body of the speech.  Cassidy spoke on competition and applied the Four-Way Test to her arguments.

As the first place winner, Cassidy will advance to a District Elimination Round, to be held April 19 in Riverside, where five finalists will win $300 each and move to the District competition, scheduled to be held in Cathedral City, the first weekend of May.

The Four-Way Speech Contest, along with other educational and community activities, is made possible by the Murrieta Rotary’s annual fund raising event, called Spring Fling, which is scheduled for May 10, 2014.