Classical student impresses at speech conference

LYNN – Lynn Classical High School student Zuruf Basher represented his school and the Lions Club of Lynn at the Lions Mid-Winter Conference in Woburn last weekend, thanks to his top performance in the annual Lions Youth Speech Competition.Basher made it to the conference thanks to several victories in the multi-stage competition, falling one round short of the state speech championship.The Lions Youth Speech Competition pits students from the Lions five state districts against one another for the right to win grant money from the organization. The competition starts at the local Lions Club level and proceeds through multiple levels of competition before culminating with the state championship. There are five Lions districts represented in the state, identified by the letters Y A N K S. One winner from each district competes in the state competition in May.Students win money at the end of every round, with the state champion taking home approximately $2,700 in grant money.”The purpose of the competition is to provide an opportunity for students to speak publicly on a designated topic of general interest,” said Lynn Lions member Donna Hartshorn, who is the local liaison for the competition. “Besides our many charitable donations, the Lions are involved in many community service projects. We look at this competition as an avenue for our students to express their thoughts on a given topic and to demonstrate their skills in persuasion and research.”Students become involved with the speech competition early in the year, when representatives like Hartshorn contact schools in their district to gauge interest from coaches and participants. Once the topic is learned and interested parties are identified, students write speeches and work with coaches to establish good delivery and content. School coaches usually hold a competition or try out at each school to determine who will go on to compete for the state title.Speaking on the topic “How has the media affected our lives?” Basher and his coach Tim Cullinane joined four additional students and three coaches from Lynn English, Lynn Vocational and Technical Institute and St. Mary’s in representing the city, taking top honors among the group and representing the organization at the state conference.While Basher’s run of victories ended in Woburn last weekend, Lynn Lions representatives called his speech “eye opening” and praised the student for representing Lynn and its citizens in front of the club’s highest officials.”Although Zuruf did not win at this level, he certainly provided his audience with some eye-opening statements about how the media presents the news in today’s global society,” said Hartshorn. “We applaud Zuruf for his efforts.”