Montrose Student Is Co-Champion of Lions Statewide Speech Contest

The following provided by Steve Small, Chairman, Medfield Lions Club Speech Competition.

Montrose Student Is Co-Champion of Lions Statewide Speech Contest

Jennifer Uche, a North Attleboro resident and a sophomore at the Montrose School in Medfield, was named one of five State Co-Champions of the Massachusetts Lions Youth Speech Competition.

The contest started last November when high school students all over the state were invited to write a speech lasting between 5 and 8 minutes answering the question, “What Is Heroism?” Steve Small, Chairman of the Youth Speech Contest for the Medfield Lions, worked with the Speech and/or Debate coaches at both the Montrose School and Medfield High School to give their students the opportunity to enter. Ms. Barbara Whitlock, an English teacher at Montrose School, invited all Montrose students to participate, with 30 students submitting speeches. The top 5
speeches from the school advanced to the Medfield Lions Club’s competition.

Lions Clubs all over the state held the first round of competition in December. Miss Uche won the Medfield Lions Club competition and quickly moved through two more levels of competition in January. Jennifer was also victorious at a February convention for the 48 Lions Clubs in the
greater Boston area, earning her one of the five spots in the State Finals. The corona virus pandemic forced the cancellation of the Lions State Convention and the finals of the competition, making Miss Uche one of five co-champions.

The competition gets harder at each new level, not only because all the speakers have already won previous competitions, but also because the rules change slightly. In the early rounds, the speakers are allowed to read their speech from a manuscript; by the State Finals, the speakers
are allowed to use only one 3x5 index card when delivering their speech. Speeches were judged on the cohesiveness of the text, the impact of the message, and the delivery.

Miss Uche’s speech grabbed the audience’s attention from the opening paragraph: “I think it’s time we sort the difference between heroes and some guy who did a pretty cool thing… It’s really easy to pick someone –probably someone famous – and dub them your hero. Extra points if that
hero is someone on the internet – the internet is like a superhero supermarket.” Her speech went on to examine heroism from a different perspective than that of most of the other students. Rather than discuss heroes for clues about heroism, Miss Uche said, “To learn about the hero, ask the one he saved. From the saved, we can hear about what makes a person a hero. Does it match what we’ve been calling celebrities on the internet? I won’t talk about the saviors, but rather the ones they saved.” Her speech went on to discuss heroic acts as described by the people who benefitted from them, such as Richard Fern. Mr. Fern was in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. From Miss Uche’s speech: “As [Fern] ran into another room, he heard someone yell: ‘Line up over here! Go down this staircase!’ Fern ran towards the voice. That voice
was Wells Crowther. Following his direction, Fern escaped the building with his life…Eyewitnesses report that [Crowther] spoke calmly and with authority. Welles Crowther saved as many as 18 lives on that day. But he lost his own… Heroes don’t just be brave for bravery’s sake, or just
because they like it, they do it because they need their bravery for things like what Welles did.” After discussing two others who were saved in other incidents far less familiar than 9/11, Miss Uche’s speech concluded: “A hero isn’t a god, someone you see from your laptop screen,or some utopian idea. At least, not your hero. Your hero is on the streets. Your hero’s hands aren’t clean and pristine. They’re grimy and dirty but always – always! – held out for you. They’re among us. Their name isn’t illuminated by lights for everyone to see. Your hero is hardly recognized. But between the heroes and your heroes – I think you already know who you must appreciate more. Because your heroes – my hero, saved you and me. We know what they did for us. Being a hero
doesn’t take some trait. Heroism is sacrifice. Heroism is empathy. Heroism is love.

In honor of Miss Uche’s Co-Championship, the Medfield Lions Club is making a donation to the Massachusetts charity of her choice. Jennifer chose Horizons for Homeless Children, which provides early childhood education programs for homeless children in Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, and Dorchester. The Medfield Lions will make a donation to the organization in Miss Uche’s name.

Miss Uche is finishing her sophomore year at Montrose School (remotely), and hopes to become a writer. Before that, she is already thinking about entering the Lions Youth Speech Contest again next year.