16th Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition January 13, 2012

The 16th Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition will be held at the historic Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Christ in Downtown Houston on Friday, Jan. 13. Incorporating ideals from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s writing and speeches, fourth- and fifth-grade students will compose and present original three to five minute speeches addressing the topic: “As a student of Dr. King’s life, what message of hope do you think he would have for the world today?” More than 240 students representing 24 Houston ISD schools participated in the school-wide competitions held from Oct. 4 − 21, where one student from each participating school was selected to advance to the preliminary round to be held on Jan. 6 at Thompson Elementary School. At the preliminary, 12 finalists will earn a spot in the final competition. Throughout all stages of the competition, students are judged on delivery, stage presence and decorum, content interpretation, and memorization. The event is free and open to the public.

Presented, hosted and sponsored by Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, the 2012 competition includes participants from the following elementary schools: Anderson, Atherton, Bruce, Burrus, Cornelius, Crawford, Crespo, Dodson, Garden Villas, Golfcrest, Gregg, Lockhart, MacGregor, Mading, Park Place, Pleasantville, Port Houston, Rodriguez, Sutton, Thompson, Valley West, Wainwright, Whidby, Windsor Village and Woodson.