The Mattapoisett Lions Club held its annual Youth Speech Competition, open to all area high school students, at the Mattapoisett Chowder House Wednesday night.

The competition, held as part of a program sponsored by the Lions of Massachusetts, requires students to prepare an original speech pertaining to a specific topic, which they then present in front of a panel of judges at the competition ceremony. The judges score each student’s performance based on their success at meeting competition criteria, and awards of $200, $100 and $50 are given for first, second, and third place respectively. In addition, the winner is given the opportunity to continue on to the zone and statewide competitions.

The topic chosen for this year’s competition was “How a teacher has changed my life,” which the participants had no trouble addressing.

“Every teacher I’ve had has had an influence on me,” said third place winner and Old Rochester Regional student Annie Smith, “But I’ve been lucky to have Mr. [Colin] Everett. His classes are lecture-based and his readings are review, rather than the crux of learning. I hope I’m able to emulate this when I’m a teacher.”

Similarly, second place winner and ORR student Joshua Bardwell said, “When asked how a teacher has changed my life, my immediate problem was ‘How could I choose just one?’” Bardwell later explained in his speech that it was student teacher Mr. Chase Howland who inspired him to pursue a future career teaching history.

The winner, whose identity cannot be revealed until they are no longer contest-eligible (per contest rules), will move on to compete in the zone, region, District 33S and ultimately at the state level as a representative of the sponsoring Club, the Mattapoisett Lions Club.

In response to the quality of speeches produced by students at this and past years’ competitions, King Lion Joe Murray said, “It’s just edifying to see how great a job the youth do. You leave here with the feeling that all is not wrong with the youth of today. I think it’s one of our more worthwhile projects.”

The participants enjoyed the program as well.

“It’s a great event,” said Smith, a veteran of the competition, “It really is good practice for later in life.”

Bardwell, also a veteran, agreed the contest was worthwhile.

“It’s a great experience, especially for high school students,” Bardwell said.

In addition to the Youth Speech Competition, the Lions Club supports a number of initiatives and programs, including their QUEST program, aimed at focusing efforts on youth outreach.