Winners of Rotary’s Four-Way Speech Contest, and the music and visual arts competitions, were honored at a gala event at the Beck Center on April 15.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River, the contest annually showcases the incredible talents of students attending one of five high schools – Lakewood, Lutheran West, Magnificat, Rocky River, and St. Edward.

Speech contest first place winner was Elizabeth Schuldt. Her speech was entitled, “We Can Save This Planet.” Sophia Lipowski, earned second place. Her speech was entitled, “Toxic Positivity: The World’s Favorite Puppet Show.” Both students represented the club at the Rotary district 6630 competition on April 6.

Placing third was Ava Cuffari and fourth was Lana Collins. All speech winners are from Lakewood High School. Their teacher is Ms. Amy Garritano.

Speeches must be of original content and be based on “The Four-Way Test of Rotary” which asks, “Is it the truth, Is it fair to all concerned, Will it build goodwill and better friendships, and Will it be beneficial to all concerned?”

Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood has been a valued partner of Rotary for this event, serving as the liaison to educators at the high schools and providing the venue and judges for various phases of the competitions.

This is the 79th year for the club’s speech competition, and the twenty-seventh year that the Beck Center has collaborated with the Rotary club for these student competitions.

Music contest first place winner from Lakewood High School was Jake Hirsch performing “Sonata for Piano and Alto Sax, 1st Movement” by Creston on saxophone. Second place was vocalist Max Lucic, Rocky River High School, performing, “Nina” by Giovanni Pergolesi. Placing third was Bode Smith, performing, “Violin Concerto in G Major” by Joseph Haydn. Honorable mentions went to two vocalists, Eileen Brady from Lakewood, and Alexandra Morron from Rocky River.

Visual arts winners were Reagan Bratko, “Beach Monoprint,” charcoal and ink, Lakewood High School, first place; Zoe Satayathum, “Dolls,” colored pencil, Rocky River High School, second place; and Jaden Woods, “Poison,” ceramic sculpture, St. Edward High School, third place. Honorable mentions went to Sarah Celestina, Magnificat High School; Tegan Hendzel, Lakewood High School; and Koreen Manja, Rocky River High School.

Over 100 art pieces of various styles and media were submitted. A jury of visual arts educators selected outstanding works that met the contest requirements. From this gallery, the judges chose the award winners. The exhibition was displayed in the Jean Bulicek Galleria. In recognition of their achievements, all winners received a cash prize from Rotary, made possible by the Lakewood-Rocky River Rotary Foundation.