Local organization, People For Life, asks of Prep students to enter in its essay and oratory contests. Annually it holds these contests which are open to the youth in Erie, with the purpose of spreading awareness for social justice issues.

In the past the People For Life office has reached out to Cathedral Prep with service opportunities. Theology teacher Mrs. Slaby passed the message to the student body of the unique opportunity to voice one’s opinion on a topic relevant on a global scale.

“Students at Prep can demonstrate their essay writing and public speaking skills while earning [prize] money,” said Mrs. Slaby. “People of good faith and good will speaking up in our community is a brave and necessary thing to do.”

The essay contest is split between two groups of grades 7-9 and 10-12. The first prize this year will be $125, second will be $100, and third will be $75. Each submission will be graded by a panel on credibility, research, and grammar. Entries are accepted until April 24th.

The oratory contest is split between grades 9-10 and 11-12. For this contest, first prize is $150, second is $75, and third is $50. The presentation of the 5-7 minute speeches will be on April 15th. These speeches will be specifically on the topics of abortion, assisted suicide, euthanasia, or embryo-destructive experimentation. They will be judged on research, length of the presentation, and style. It will be assessed during the introduction, by its content, presentation, and conclusion. Furthermore, a video of the speech is eligible to be submitted for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation which is on a state-wide scale.

Cathedral Prep student Julia Dieteman previously participated in the essay contest, earning $50 in second place. “My biggest takeaway was that faith matters and your words can have an impact, no matter how big or small,” Julia said. “My advice is to try your hardest and don’t worry about people’s opinions because of the controversial topics, just speak your truth and express your faith.”

More information about the contests from People For Life are available by calling (814) 882-1333, emailing [email protected], or visiting peopleforlife.org/essay or peopleforlife.org/oratory.