The art of oratory enhanced at Forester Speak Off
FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, December 19, 2001
Huntington, Ind. "The Huntington College Great Forester Speak Off, held at the end of each semester, showcased the persuasive skills of Huntington College's finest student speakers. Classmates voted participants into the competition based on their outstanding oratorical skills from the fall semester's speech classes. Each contestant was then evaluated by the judging panel made up of Claudia Ward, Community Relations Director of Parkview Huntington Hospital; George Killian, music professor at Huntington College; and Audra Engle, last semester's Forester Speak Off winner. Top honors for the Winter 2001 Great Forester Speak Off went to Adam Bouse, a sophomore Educational Ministries major from Anderson, Ind., who spoke against church denominations. Second place went to Lynda Barnum, a sophomore English Education major from Drexel Hill, Pa., who spoke against standardized tests. Matt Ricke, a junior English major from Huntington, Ind., took third place honors with his speech encouraging Christians to embrace the homosexual community, and Scott Grinstead, a sophomore Theatre-Performance major from Dunbar, W.V., finished fourth, speaking against evolution.
Other participants included Josh Zurcher, a sophomore Elementary Education major from Berne, Ind., who argued that we never landed on the moon; Kristi Cates, a sophomore English/Print Media double major from Sweester, Ind., who argued in favor of stem cell research; Jake Sikora, a sophomore Bible/Religion and English double major from Bryan, Ohio, who argued against the US missile defense plan; Kyle Shoemaker, a sophomore Elementary Education major from Westfield, Ind., who spoke in favor of Indiana returning to the single class basketball tournament; Jeff Edgel, a sophomore Elementary Education major from Grand Ledge, Mich., who argued that women do not belong behind the pulpit; and Denise Krauskopf, a sophomore Recreation Management major from Fremont, Ind., who argued against prayer in schools.
Founded in 1897, Huntington is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts, offering graduate and undergraduate degrees in more than 50 academic concentrations. US News and World Report ranks Huntington College among the best in the Midwest. Huntington has also been listed among The 201 Best Colleges for the Real World and The Templeton Guide: Colleges and Universities that Encourage Character Development.
