Concord Rotary Club Awards Scholarships In 4-Way Test, Speech Contest

CONCORD, NH — Three high school students won scholarships last week as part of the 2022 Concord Rotary Club 4-Way Test and Speech Contest.

The three winners were chosen from 10 Trinity Christian School, Bishop Brady High School, and Merrimack Valley High School students who participated in the contest. The contest involved five to seven-minute speeches based on the four-way test — including four specific themes applied in the speaker’s life or as part of a society to make an impact.

The four themes for the Rotary club contest were "Is it truth?" "Is it fair to all concerned?" "Will it build goodwill and better friendships?" And "Will it be beneficial to all concerned?"

Jacob Storman of Trinity Christian School placed first and won a $1,000 scholarship. He spoke about moving to New Hampshire recently and how his social interaction completely changed due to moving to the new state. He used the four themes to make points about how powerful social interaction was to people, even if they did not realize it.

“And while it may sound cliché,” he said, “I truly believe that friendship is our most powerful force in our universe, in our world.”

Storman said interactions between more than one person solved some of the world’s biggest problems. He said not socializing with others often turned out to be a negative component of the process of interaction. Interactivity was powerful and beneficial to everyone, Storman said.

Listen to his speech here.

Morgan Wheeler of Bishop Brady High School placed second and won a $500 scholarship. She focused on education and how those students who live in poverty and are marginalized can grow and succeed, and schools can help. Educating children about others with success stories who were in similar situations — whether sports stars or scientists or immigrants who become millionaires, was just one way schools could improve the lives of their students. Realism, too, was needed.

“Students need to recognize success is not easy no matter your economic background,” she said. “Success is hard work and can take a long time. But if you really want to succeed, you will overcome many obstacles like this.”

Listen to her speech here.

Zachary Babin came in third. He also attends Trinity Christian School. He readily admitted to procrastinating when writing the speech but put it together on the fly, in about two days. Babin, who is of Ukrainian descent, said there was a lot going on in the world and he and others were watching. At the same time, not everyone knew how to comfort others, especially when they were feeling grief.

“There is a risk involved,” he said, of helping others. “They aren’t losing anything to the griever and they are also getting something … so it is fair.”

Listen to his speech here.

All three speakers participated in the District Semi-Finals on April 3. The District Finals will be held at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon on April 30.

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