2014-2015 HOUSTON EVENT FACTS PAGE
19th Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition
For more information:
Ray Rivas, 713.276.5508  [email protected]
Event:
 19th Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition sponsored by the Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP law firm
 Semi-Finals: Friday, January 9, 2015, 10:00 a.m. location TBD
 Finals: Friday, January 16, 2015, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Christ, Downtown Houston
2014-2015 Topic: If Dr. King were to win the Nobel Peace Prize today, what would he say in his acceptance speech?
Participant Criteria:
Fourth and fifth grade elementary students compose their own original 3-5 minute speeches, incorporating ideals from Dr.
King’s writings, speeches and other records, to answer the competition’s theme question, “If Dr. King were to win the
Nobel Peace Prize today, what would he say in his acceptance speech?” Students are judged on delivery, stage presence
and decorum, content interpretation and memorization at all three levels (school, preliminaries and finals) of the
competition
 The 24 Houston ISD elementary schools will host in-school competitions of 20 students (maximum) per school; the first
place winners will then participate in the semi-final competition at which time 12 finalists will be selected
24 Participating Houston ISD Elementary Schools:
Anderson Elementary
Atherton Elementary
Blackshear Elementary
Bruce Elementary
Burrus Elementary
Cornelius Elementary
Crespo Elementary
Garden Villas Elementary
Golfcrest Elementary
Gregg Elementary
Gross Elementary
Lockhart Elementary
MacGregor Elementary
Park Place Elementary
Pleasantville Elementary
Port Houston Elementary
Rodriguez Elementary
Sutton Elementary
Thompson Elementary
Valley West Elementary
Wainwright Elementary
Whidby Elementary
Windsor Village Elementary
Woodson Elementary
Purpose:
 Annual program designed by Gardere to recognize and encourage the writing and oratory skills of elementary students
 Celebration of cultural diversity and opportunity to spotlight talented Houston ISD students as they learn about Dr.
King
 Presented in the spirit of learning and as a celebration of Dr. King’s legacy
History and Awards:
 Established in Dallas in 1993 to commemorate the life of Dr. King; expanded to Houston in 1997
 In 2014, more than 375 students representing 39 schools in Dallas and Houston participated in the program along with
approximately 153 Gardere attorneys and staff members who served as judges at the in-school competitions
 Awards for student participation include a certificate of participation; the 12 finalists will also receive a monetary gift,
a participation plaque and other gifts; participating schools receive a book on civil rights for their libraries
 Past winners and participants have delivered their speeches to numerous local organizations, including annual MLK
Day appearances at the House of Blues, and they have also appeared on local and national television programs,
including Good Morning America, The Early Show, Fox 26 News, and in numerous local and community newspapers
Program Details:
 Judges for in-school competitions will consist of Gardere attorneys and staff members
 Judges at the semi-finals competition will consist of Gardere attorneys.
 The Final competition will feature a number of VIP community/civic/business leaders on the judging panel
 Outstanding entertainment presented by Salvation Army Harbour Light Choir
 For more information: http://www.gardere.com/Firm_Profile/Community/ (click on MLK event logo)
www.gardere.com | Austin ▪ Dallas ▪ Houston ▪ Mexico City
Permission to Participate in the
2014-2015 Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition
Gardere welcomes your student to participate in the 2014-2015 Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition.
General Competition Information, Rules, and Obligations of Participants
Eligibility:
To be eligible to compete in the annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition, students must:
 Be enrolled in either the fourth or fifth grade at a participating Houston ISD school.
 All students, regardless of how they placed the previous year, who participate in the competition while in the
fourth grade are eligible to return to compete as fifth graders.
Originality:
Teacher and family involvement is encouraged during the competition; however, participating students must write
their own speeches. Students are encouraged to incorporate the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. into their
speeches, but the speech must be in the student’s own words.
Judging Criteria:
 Speeches are judged on delivery, stage presence and decorum, content interpretation and memorization.
 Students may use scripts during the in-school competition.
 During the semi-final and final rounds, all speeches must be memorized and presented without a script.
 Students may not employ the use of props, visual aids or other recorded material during their speeches. Any
sections of the speech that are spoken in a second language or sung may be no longer than 30 seconds in
cumulative total length.
 All speeches must be no longer than 5 minutes in length (we recommend the range of 3 to 5 minutes).
Selection of Finalists:
 The judging panel will select a first-, second- and third-place speech at each school. The first-place student
qualifies automatically for the semi-finals. The second- and third-place school winners are the official backup
speakers should the first-place winner be unable to participate in the semi-finals competition.
 During the semi-finals, the top 12 speeches of the 24 presented from elementary schools across the district will
be selected and qualified for the final competition.
 Judges at the in-school and semi-finals competitions may discuss improvement points with the winning students
after the conclusion of those rounds of the competition.
Judging Panels:
 Decisions of the judges are final. Any inquiries concerning judging must be submitted in writing to the school
and Gardere within 48 hours of your child’s in-school competition or at the conclusion of any round of
competition.
Participation:
 Students unable to participate on the scheduled day of any level of the competition for any reason, including
illness, family emergency or any other cause, forfeit their position in that round and will be unable to continue
in the competition. Every effort must be made to inform Gardere of the participant’s inability to compete as
soon as the situation arises.
 Should the winner of the in-school competition be unable to participate in the semi-final round, the secondplace student at that school may fill the vacated spot.