Third Annual Guarini Center Oratorical Contest At Saint Peter’s College

Jersey City, NJ – An area high school student with exceptional public speaking skills will win $10,000 when The Guarini Center for Governmental Affairs at Saint Peter’s College stages its third annual Oratorical Contest on Saturday. More than 150 entrants from 85 area high schools will deliver speeches, no longer than 10 minutes, “Identifying the Most Important Challenge Facing the United States in the 21st century.” Three preliminary rounds will conclude with the 4:30 p.m. finals in the Pope Lecture Hall on the College’s Jersey City campus where the top six students will split $19,500 in total cash prizes money. The finals are free and open to the public. Last year’s winner Karen Pormento, now a senior at St. Mary High School in Jersey City, returns, along with runner-up Landon Woodson, a sophomore at Passaic High School. “Saint Peter’s College and the Guarini Center have combined to give a great opportunity for many of the area’s brightest and best students to showcase their ability to express themselves,” said Honorable Frank J. Guarini, a former United States Congressman who founded the Guarini Center. “Public speaking is such a valuable asset and it has become evident to me over the past couple of years that the younger generation has not lost the art.” The rules of the contest are strict and follow the National Catholic Forensic League Bylaws. Speeches, which will be judged on originality and interest, must be memorized and composed only by the student delivering it. Visual and audio-visual aids are not permitted. The event is sponsored by: Lucent, Panepinto Properties, Independence Bank, Hackensack University Medical Center, Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Provident Financial Services, Port Authority of New York/New Jersey, PSE&G, AT&T, Fleet Bank, Verizon, Larry Codey and Kathleen Fitzgerald. The Guarini Center for Governmental Affairs was established in 1994 to provide a non-partisan forum for the thoughtful discussion of public policy issues and to interest students in pursuing careers in public service. Saint Peter’s College is the Jesuit College of New Jersey. Founded in 1872, Saint Peter’s has an enrollment of more than 3,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. The main campus is located in Jersey City and a branch campus, specializing in adult education, is located in Englewood Cliffs. Saint Peter’s also offers classes in downtown Jersey City near the waterfront financial district and in South Amboy. -SPC- LIST OF HIGH SCHOOLS Academy of Allied Health & Science Neptune, NJ Academy of Mt. St. Ursula Bronx, NY Archbishop Stepinac White Plains, NY Atlantic County Inst. of Tech. Mays Landing, NJ Bayonne Bayonne, NJ Becton Regional Rutherford, NJ Benedictine Academy Elizabeth, NJ Bergen County Academies Hackensack, NJ Bishop Ahr Edison, NJ Bridgewater-Raritan Bridgewater, NJ Cardinal McCarrick South Amboy, NJ Cardinal Spellman Bronx, NY Cherry Hill West Cherry Hill, NJ Clearview Regional Mullica Hill, NJ Columbia Maplewood, NJ DePaul Catholic Wayne, NJ Don Bosco Prep Ramsey, NJ Dumont Dumont, NJ East Side Newark, NJ Ewing Ewing, NJ Fairlawn Fair Lawn, NJ Franklin Somerset, NJ Glen Ridge Glen Ridge, NJ Gloucester Catholic Gloucester City, N Governor Livingston Berkeley Hts., NJ High Tech North Bergen, NJ Hillside Hillside, NJ Hoboken Hoboken, NJ Holy Family Bayonne, NJ Hunterdon Central Flemington, NJ Immaculata Somerville, NJ Immaculate Conception Montclair, NJ Irvington Irvington, NJ J.P. Stevens Edison, NJ Jackson Memorial Jackson, NJ John F. Kennedy Paterson, NJ Lakewood Lakewood, NJ Malcolm X. Shabazz Newark, NJ Marylawn of the Oranges South Orange, NJ McNair Academic Jersey City, NJ Middletown South Middletown, NJ Montclair Montclair, NJ Moorestown Moorestown, NJ Morris Knolls Rockaway, NJ Mount St. Mary Academy Watchung, NJ Msgr. Donovan Toms River, NJ New Urtrecht Brooklyn, NY Newark Academy Livingston, NJ Newark Vocational Newark, NJ North Burlington County Regional East Columbus, NJ Northern Valley Regional Demarest, NJ Nutley Nutley, NJ Oratory Prep Summit, NJ Our Lady of Good Counsel Newark, NJ Paramus Paramus, NJ Pascack Valley Hillsdale, NJ Passaic Passaic, NJ Pequannock Township Pompton Plains, NJ Piscataway Piscataway, NJ Plainfield Plainfield, NJ Ridgewood Ridgewood, NJ Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn, NJ South Brunswick South Brunswick, NJ St. Aloysius Jersey City, NJ St. Benedict’s Prep Newark, NJ St. John Vianney Holmdel, NJ St. Mary’s Jersey City, NJ St. Mary’s Rutherford, NJ Stewart Country Day School Princeton, NJ Teaneck Teaneck, NJ Toms River North Toms River, NJ Union Catholic Scotch Plains, NJ Union Hill Union City, NJ Union Union, NJ University Newark, NJ Villa Walsh Academy Morristown, NJ Washington Irving New York, NY Watchung Hill Regional Warren, NJ Wayne Valley Wayne, NJ William Dickinsson Jersey City, NJ Wood-Ridge Wood-Ridge NJ