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Students compete in speech
2017 Speech Rotary Area 12
Left to right are first-, second- and third-place speech contest winners: Lucas Bartell, Madison Zamaroni, and Patty Onate.

The Rotary Club of Ceres last Friday hosted the Area 12 level (Ceres/Turlock clubs) speech competition with first place winners from Ceres, Pitman and Turlock high schools competing to move on to Rotary District 5220 Finals.
The students spoke on the topic of "Rotary Serving Humanity."

The winners of Friday's semi-finals were: Turlock High student Lucas Bartell who took first place and $175; Ceres High's Madison Zamaroni who claimed second place and $125; and Pitman High's Patty Onate winning third place and $100.

First place winners from each of the 12 areas within Rotary District 5220's 50 plus clubs will compete in the District round at 9:30 a.m. on March 18 at Memorial Education Training Center, 1700 McHenry Avenue, Modesto (backside of McHenry Village).

Each year local Rotary Clubs around the world encourage high school students to enter the Rotary International Speech Competition, which is based on the presidential theme of Rotary International (RI). RI President John F. Germ from the Rotary Club of Chattanooga, Tenn., chose the theme "Rotary Serving Humanity" to represent his year in office. Participating students were to incorporate the theme as it applied to their current lives and toward their future, including educational goals and involvement in community service. The speech was to incorporate key components, including how Rotarians and Rotary Clubs serve humanity both locally and around the world.