West Bloomfield Optimist Club Names Oratorical Contest Winners

Six students from Orchard Lake Middle School (OLMS) took home medals in the Optimist Club of West Bloomfield’s Oratorical Contest, with speeches on the theme “Why My Voice is Important”.

Ari Felhandler in the Boys Division and Areesha Shabah in the Girls Division received gold medals and will be sent to zone level competition with winners from other area Optimist clubs. The winner of the zone competition will be sent to the district level, with the chance to win a scholarship.

Mian Haroon and Richa Shah both received bronze medals for third place, and Rishabh Parekh and Mia Dronchi took home silver medals for second place in the contest.

“All students did a wonderful job presenting their speeches about the questions posed to them,” Club President Marge Schwartz said. “The members of our Optimist Club have no doubt that these students all have bright futures ahead of them.”

Sonja James, principal at Orchard Lake Middle School and teacher Jo Friday, said they are “so proud of their kids who were all pulling for each other in the contest. It was a lesson in team spirit as well.”

The Optimist Club of West Bloomfield has been participating in the Optimist Oratorical Contest for over 35 years and has been active in the community since 1972. Other club activities include an essay contest, Junior Golf Tournament, Bike Safety Day, Respect for Law & Firefighters Day, annual Kids’ Holiday Party, Kids’ Summer Outing and a Youth Appreciation Breakfast.

Source: Optimist Club press release