On April 30 West Genesee High School sophomore Elena Pacheco placed first at the New Hartford District contest for the Optimist International Oratorical contest.
She will compete at the Optimist International World competition that is being held at St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri on July 21-22.
The topic this year is “Staying Optimistic in Challenging Times.”
Previously, on Feb. 15, six students from West Genesee High School gave speeches around the theme, “Staying Optimistic in Challenging Times” to members of the Camillus Optimist Club.
The Optimists chose Pacheco to represent them at the district competition.
Other participants from the high school included: Sienna Baron, Janaya Jones, James Manard, Lia Rice, and Alyssa Winters.
English teacher Suzanne Ostrander coordinated the competition for the students from the high school which was conducted via zoom.
The judges from Toastmasters International shared, “that they were “blown away by the level of speaking ability for students. This is a talented group year after year”.
The students and school district extended its appreciation to the Camillus Optimists for sponsoring this event every year and to the Rosanna Giampaolo for coordinating this event.
