Both male and female first-place finishers of the 44th annual Optimist Club Oratorical Contest will advance to the Zone Competition.

Lacy Raper and Mitchell Brady, the female and male first-place finishers, respectively, earned that right as a result of their finishes during the local competition recently.

In addition to Raper and Brady, other finishers include -- females -- Kelly Ma, second place (silver medallion, $75 I-bond) and Kiersten Sanquist, third place (bronze medallion and $50 bond). The second- and third place male finishers include Morgan Long, second place (silver medallion, $75 bond), and Matt Calvert, third Place (bronze medallion and $50 bond).

Optimist Club of Rolla, chartered in 1964, invited public, parochial and home-schooled students in Phelps County, within commuting distance of Rolla, to compete.  There were 49 contestants, all winners, from the Rolla Middle School. 

Optimist Club Contest Chairman Lawrence C. George and Gifted Student Rolla Middle School teacher Dee Anne Long presented contestants recently in each level with certificates of appreciation during the annual Rolla Middle School Awards Assemblies.
The contestants competed in in-school competition to advance to the female and male preliminary contests, respectively. 

There were five female and male orators, respectively, and three of each gender advanced to the Club competition.  The Preliminary Contest judges for females were Patti Frisbee, EvaLee Lasater and Ken Oster. The judges for the male competition were Caroline Fisher, Patti Fleck and James Murphy.

The female preliminary contestants were Chloe Dunaway, Rebecca Hanlin, Kelly Ma, Lacey Raper and Kiersten Sandquist; the males were Mitch Brady, Wil Bryan, Matt Calvert, Morgan Long and Bryan Peach.

The Club Contest judges were Diana Ahmad, Larry Gragg and Daryl Fisher.

The first-place qualifiers in traveled to Columbia, Mo., and competed in the Zone competition.  There were approximately 15-Rolla residents who attended the Zone competition to support the Optimist Club of Rolla orators.