Gloucester County Public Schools Department of Secondary School Leadership, in collaboration with the Gloucester Branch of the NAACP and the Woodville Rosenwald School Foundation, held the second annual student oratorical competition the morning of Friday, March 7, at the Fine Arts Museum of Gloucester.
Gloucester High School freshman Paula Ochoa Zepeda took first place in the competition for her speech on the topic, “Dreams Deferred: What Responsibility Do You Have to Help Others Achieve Their Dreams?”
“We are very excited to hear what you have to share with us,” said Elizabeth Blackney, executive director of the Cook Foundation, ahead of the competition.
“The power of words is more powerful than anything else in this world,” said superintendent of schools Dr. Anthony Vladu.
“Helping others achieve their dreams strengthens the foundations of a thriving community,” said Ochoa Zepeda in her winning speech. “As humans, we flourish through connections, which is why our society has progres...