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Welcome to the Rotary Club of Augusta
2025 SPEECH CONTEST
The Rotary Club of Augusta sponsors a speech contest for high school students in Richmond and Columbia Counties. Started in 1997, the Preston Johnson Annual High School Speech Contest engages Rotarians, educators, and students in District 6920 in a meaningful and rewarding opportunity for personal development of our nation ‘s future leaders.
Our club’s 2025 contest was held on February 27, at the Morris Museum of Art (1 10th Street). As in past years, participating students were directed to prepare and present a speech of 3-4 minutes in length on one of two topics. One was the Rotary 4-Way Test:
Of the things that we think, say, or do:
- Is it the TRUTH?
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Will it build GOODWILL and better FRIENDSHIPS?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
The second topic was the Rotary International President’s theme for 2024-2025, “THE MAGIC OF ROTARY,” a call for Rotary to “recognize and amplify the organization’s power to save lives.”
This year’s contest winners competed among 17 students from seven high schools in Richmond and Columbia Counties, both public and private.
|
1st Place |
Jamison Rookard |
11th Grade at Aquinas High School |
|
2nd Place |
Coralyn Cairns |
12th Grade at Lakeside High School |
|
3rd Place |
Vithyash Ayyappan |
11th Grade at Evans High School |
|
4th Place |
Genevieve Jones |
12th Grade at Grovetown High School |
|
Honorable Mention |
Ibraheem Hassan Claire Seeger Anthony Walker |
11th Grade at Lakeside High School 11th Grade at Aquinas High School 10th Grade at A.R. Johnson Health Science And Engineering Magnet School |
On March 3, Jamison Rookard and Coralyn Cairns presented their winning speeches to the Rotary Club of Augusta at its annual Youth Day Celebration, where the meeting was led entirely by high schoolers from area Rotary Interact Clubs. Awards were presented to all winners during the meeting.
Northern Zone Contest
On April 5, Jamison Rookard and Coralyn Cairns represented the Rotary Club of Augusta at the Northern Zone Contest in Milledgeville, GA. Coralyn Cairns was the contest’s 1st Place Winner, earning the opportunity to give her speech at the 2025 Georgia District Conference on April 24-27, in Jekyll Island, GA. Congratulations, to Ms. Cairns!
In recognition of International Women’s Day March 8, our club heard from Angie Cox, President and CEO of the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce who shared her thoughts on empowering women. ... See MoreSee Less
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Congratulations to the winners of our annual Speech Contest!
There were 67 entries this year. First place finisher, Jamison Rookard, a student at Aquinas High School; and second place finisher, Coralyn Cairus, a student at Lakeside High School, presented their winning speeches on the Magic of Rotary.
A special thank you also to the
Interact students who rang the bell and called the meeting to order.
Charlotte Dickerson, a student at Davidson Fine Arts, gave the pledge and invocation.
David Ashade, a student at Aquinas High School, gave the invocation.
Students Chloe Burdyck, Saylor Prince and Grace MacGilvray gave the Sunshine Report. ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you to District Governor, Todd Freesmenn, for speaking to our club on February 10. ... See MoreSee Less
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We have 5 tickets left in the drawing... Could you be the winner? ... See MoreSee Less
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The Rotary Club of Augusta will host its annual High School Speech Contest on February 27. Open to all 9-12 graders in Richmond or Columbia Counties, this is a great experience for young people to hone their research and speaking skills. Oh, and they can also win cash!
Students can learn more and register at lnkd.in/eMht8Qym ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you to Brad Usry, Chairman of the New Arena Committee for the Augusta Richmond County Coliseum Authority, for speaking with us today. He shared a project update with us about the new arena. Turn in to WJBF tonight for highlights! ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you to Katie Wynn, founder of Dynamik Consulting for speaking to our Club on January 14! Through the use of results-driven techniques, Katie is gifted at motivating participants to unlock their internal potential and develop authentic communication strategies.
With an easy-going, relatable and energetic style, she guides workshop participants through content in a way that inspires them to act immediately with confidence and passion!
Katie is a native of Augusta, Georgia and is married with 3 children. She’s an active leader at The Church of the Good Shepherd, Heritage Academy, Lake Forest Hills Elementary PTO, and Leadership Augusta. ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you, Retired Major General Perry Smith, for speaking to our club. Major Smith served over 30 years in the Air Force and is the author of “Courage, Compassion, Marine” and “Rules and Tools for Leaders”. He spoke about current world affairs on January 6, 2024. ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you to Doctors Hospital of Augusta for speaking to our club in December about their world-renowned Burn Services. As the home of the largest burn center in the United States, the Joseph M. Still Burn Center, they provide complex and comprehensive burn and wound care for more than 3,000 patients from across the country each year.
L-R: Surendra Gupta; Rotary Club of Augusta President, Lindsay Black; Director of Communications and Community Engagement at Doctors Hospital, Paul Aenchbacher; Burn Outreach Coordinator at the JMS Burn Center at Doctors Hospital. ... See MoreSee Less
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