Proud Mommy Moment

 

We had some excitement recently when Tyler AND Dallin both won the American Legion Speech Contest for their school and received $60 each. They were given a topic to write about, and each class in grades 3-5 chose 2 students to perform their speech via Skype to judges 3 1/2 hours away. Tyler was in the contest last year, but he didn't win. Some of us really thought he should have won, so we were particularly happy to see him do it this year! He was very nervous last year and didn't look up much (almost no one looks up at all - they just read the whole thing). But this year he was AWESOME, looked up a ton, and spoke with great intonation and excitement. I was so impressed!

 

I am not exaggerating when I say that Dallin looked forward to this opportunity for a whole year. He LOVES to perform in plays, give talks in church and oral reports in school, and bear his testimony in church every single month. His speech was fabulous, and his execution was superb. He had the whole audience laughing and cheering. This was back in December.

Two winners were selected from each grade, and they were invited, along with their families, to an awards dinner in January. After dinner they gave their speeches again. In case you were wondering about their topics, the third graders had to choose 4 symbols to represent themselves. Dallin chose a chef's hat (because he loves to cook), a stage (he loves to perform), a quill pen (he likes to read and write) and a house (he enjoys spending time with his family).

 

And they both did great again. Tyler's grade had to choose 3 symbols to represent the future of America. He chose a flaming torch (America will continue to be a land of liberty), a light bulb (for new ideas and inventions in science and technology), and the sun (for new sources of energy).

 

Then they received medals, certificates, and their checks for $60. They still haven't decided how they want to spend it. It's more money than they've ever had!