JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — High school students from Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties showcased their public speaking skills during the 14th annual College Connections Speech Contest held April 22 in SUNY Jamestown Community College’s Scharmann Theatre.
Students enrolled in JCC’s College Connections public speaking course were selected by their high schools to participate in the competition. The 12 contestants were asked to discuss one of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, explain why they would advocate for that goal, and identify actions that could help advance it.
A panel of judges selected Addison Lendt, a senior at Westfield Academy and Central School, as the contest winner. McKenzie Anderson, a junior at Maple Grove Junior/Senior High School, was runner up, while Gina Delgado, a senior at Jamestown High School, placed third.
Other participants included Aubrey Ecklund and Olivia Eckman of Frewsburg Central School; Vonnegut Chadwick of Jamestown High School; Will Benson of Maple Grove Junior/Senior High School; Jackson Burnham and Jackson Scolton of Panama Central School; Johnson Li and Amelia Lopez of Ten Broeck Academy in Franklinville; and Benjamin Wolfe of Westfield Academy and Central School.
Students from each participating school attended the event to support their classmates.
College Connections public speaking instructors attending the contest included Lisa Burns of Frewsburg, Elizabeth Rowe-Baehr of Jamestown, Cara Abbey of Maple Grove, Helen Keefe of Panama, Lauren Svec of Ten Broeck, and Laura Wilson of Westfield.
Judges were Patricia Graves of the Rotary Club of Jamestown; David Niles, director of development at the Robert H. Jackson Center; and Jason Sample, marketing and communications coordinator for the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency.
Jade Barber, director of JCC High School Partnerships, and Simone Sellstrom, JCC assistant professor and chair of Communication, Media Arts, Theatre and English Literature, coordinated the event. The Rotary Club of Jamestown sponsored awards for the contest winners.
"It's wonderful to hear from students about the issues they feel are most pressing in the world now," Barber said. "Getting the chance to show off the public speaking skills they've honed this year in class, while passionately advocating for their vision of how to make the world a better place, is really exciting and inspiring."
JCC’s College Connections program partners with schools in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties, providing high school students the opportunity to take college courses and earn college credit.