The John H. Collins, American Legion, Post 24 is holding the 2026 local Oratorical Contest on January 15, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Derby High School auditorium.
There are four students that will be presenting topics on the constitution of the United States. Each student will be allowed a maximum of 10 minutes to present. After all have presented, one of four possible topics will be chosen from the assigned topics for 2026. They will be given a maximum of 5 minutes to present this topic.
When completed, the judges will tally their scores to choose the first, second and third place winners. The winner of this contest will compete at the district level on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at The American Legion, Post 76 in Naugatuck starting at 9:00 a.m.
The winner of this contest will then compete at the state level at the CT State Police Academy in Middletown on March 5, 2026. This winner will proceed to the National contest at Hillsdale Collage, Hillsdale, MI on May 15 – 17, 2026.
Please join us at Derby High School on Jan.15 at 2pm to see the students compete at this prestigious event. Your support would be greatly appreciated!