GILROY
– Gilroy High School student Mike Heisey earned a chance to win
$1,550 in scholarship money, after winning the Gilroy Rotary Club’s
annual speech competition Tuesday.
GILROY – Gilroy High School student Mike Heisey earned a chance to win $1,550 in scholarship money, after winning the Gilroy Rotary Club’s annual speech competition Tuesday.
The college-bound senior won $100 from the local Rotary Club for his speech on American policy in the Middle East. Over the next two months, Heisey will match his orating skills against speech contest winners from other Rotary Clubs.
Competitions culminate in a $1,000 contest April 27 at the district’s annual conference in Santa Clara. Heisey’s next competition takes place at the Hollister club March 17 and carries a $200 first-place prize.
“I’m going to take this as far as I can,” Heisey said.
Heisey, a varsity tennis player at GHS, is awaiting acceptance to his college of choice, University of California at Berkeley. Besides opportunities to win scholarship money, the annual speech contest provides youth a chance to share their world views by using Rotary themes.
This year’s theme for Rotary is “Sowing the Seeds of Love.” Its perennial ideals are summed up in the four-way test, which evaluates actions by asking the following four questions:
• Is it the truth?
• Is it fair to all concerned?
• Will it build good will and better friendships?
• Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Heisey used the themes to explore the United States’ role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Heisey believes the United States has essentially taken Israel’s side in the conflict when it should be playing the role of broker.
“Our role should be more about finding a middle-line approach,” Heisey said. “As the last remaining superpower, we need to take the middle ground or else we’ll continue to build Arab resentment, which is what leads to terrorism.”
Heisey’s competition Tuesday was Samantha Stutzman, a GHS senior song leader and dance team member. Stutzman, who will attend San Jose State University next year, spoke on the importance of expressing one’s love toward another person before it’s too late.
In her speech, Stutzman shared the impact losing her mother has had on her life. When Stutzman was 7 years old, her mom died unexpectedly.
