Show your support for local students as they compete for best presentation and earn scholarships in the 119th year of the Stark Reading Contest, a program sponsored by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation. On Sunday, April 23, 2023, at 2 p.m., students who have won first place at the various local level competitions held at each of the five Orange County public high schools will compete in the categories of Declamation and Interpretive Reading. The second-place winners in each category will receive a $2,500 scholarship, and each first-place winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship. Each finalist will also receive an engraved watch, in keeping with a time-honored tradition of the contest.
“For more than a century, we have had the honor of sponsoring this literary contest for local students. These students work hard to prepare for this competition and we are very proud of their determination and skill level,” said Hannah Danielson, director of education for The W.H. Stark House.
During the past months, Local Final Competitions of the 119th Miriam Lutcher Stark Contest in Reading and Declamation have been held at Bridge City, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, Orangefield, Vidor, and West Orange-Stark High Schools. Between preliminary and Local Final rounds, 100 students competed across the five schools. Each second-place winner in the categories of Declamation and Interpretive Reading was awarded $1,500 in scholarships, while the two first-place winners at each school were awarded $2,000 in scholarships. The first-place winners advanced to the County Final where they will compete for the top scholarship awards.
The Stark Reading Contest is sponsored by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation as part of its continuing mission to enrich the quality of life in the Orange community and encourage education. The aim of the contest is to enhance the literary and forensic quality and skills of Orange County public high school students. The contest has continued annually since its inception in 1904, which makes the 2022 – 23 school year the 119th annual year of the contest.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information about the Stark Reading Contest or the Stark Foundation, please visit starkfoundation.org.
