ConVal junior Daniel McCall garnered first place in the District 2 American Legion Oratorical Contest which was held at Post #23 in Milford on Saturday, February 26.
McCall won with a pair of successful speeches, the first on the “Elastic Clause” (also known as the “Necessary and Proper Clause”) in the U.S. Constitution and the second on an assigned topic, which for McCall was the 8th Amendment which prohibits cruel and unusual punishments.
The mission of the American Legion Oratorical Contest is to develop a deeper knowledge and appreciation for the U.S. Constitution among high school students. Speaking subjects must be on some aspect of the U.S. Constitution.
The competition is held in two rounds. The first set of speeches involves orations on a constitutional topic and are eight to ten minutes long. In addition, contestants prepare four three- to five-minute speeches on four different constitutional amendments and must be ready to speak on all of them. One of these assigned topic speeches is then chosen for presentation at the contest.
With his win at the District 2 American Legion Oratorical Contest, McCall advances to the state-level contest which will be held at St. Anselm College in Manchester.