Rumbaugh Oration Contest
The Joseph S. Rumbaugh
Historical Oration Contest
The Joseph S.
Rumbaugh Historical Oration Contest will be conducted at
the Chapter, State and National levels. The contest is
open to all students of the freshman, sophomore, junior
and senior classes (Grades 9 - 12) in the public,
parochial, private and home schools within the
jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Society SAR.
The student must
present an original speech with the topic based on
original research and deal with an event, person,
philosophy or ideal associated with the American
Revolution, Declaration of Independence, or the framing
of the United States Constitution as defined by the SAR
for each year.
The Oration
The oration is to
be five to six minutes in length and should be based on
a compelling Revolutionary War subject that is directly
related to current national issues and patriotism.
Evidence of
historical research and creative presentation are also
important. The
oration will be judged based upon its:
·
Composition
·
Delivery
·
Significance
·
Historical accuracy and relevance
The oration must
be given from memory, without the use of notes or props.
The subject of the oration shall deal with an
event, a personality, or a document pertaining to the
Revolutionary War.
Successful candidates will clearly communicate
the relevance of their subject to the present day.
The National
Society (NSSAR) Contest
The NSSAR offers
scholarships or cash awards for the top winners:
·
The National First Place Winner receives $6,000
·
The 2nd Place Runner-up receives $3,000
·
The 3rd Place Runner-up receives $2,000.
·
Each also receives an Olympic-sized medal.
· All other finalists (4th through 6th Place runners-up) are awarded $400.
· All other national contestants receive $200.
The National
Society Contest will be held during the 2020 SAR
National Congress to be held in Richmond, Virginia from
9-15 July 2020.
Pennsylvania
Society (PASSAR) Contest
There are 23
active SAR chapters in Pennsylvania.
Participants in the PASSAR competition will be
made up of the winning contestants from participating
chapters plus applicants who are the single applicant
from a chapter, thus no competition is called for.
The winner of the
PASSAR contest will receive a silver medallion, a $500
cash award, and will qualify to participate at the NSSAR
contest.
PASSAR will reimburse up to $500 in travel expenses
for the applicant and one parent to attend the national
competition in Costa Mesa.
Second- and third-place awards have been set at
$200 and $100.
The PASSAR Contest is scheduled to be held in the Harrisburg Area on Date TBD.
Local Chapter
Contests
Local chapters are
currently considering their involvement in the Rumbaugh
Oration Contest.
You can locate your local chapter by going to
the PASSAR Chapters page.
The local contests
will be run like the NSSAR contest, but at a smaller
scale, adjusting as
appropriate for the number of participants.
The winners of chapter contests will receive a
bronze medallion and will qualify to compete at the
PASSAR contest.
Cash awards are at the discretion of the
sponsoring chapter.
Chapter contests will be held in March 2020.
Submissions to the
chapters should be made before established due dates.
Suggested due date for contestants should be by Monday 9
March 2020.
(in-hand or postmark), and will include:
·
Contestant
Entry Form * (p.
1)
·
Biographical
Sketch * (p. 2)
·
Copy of Contestant’s Oration
·
Photograph (a snapshot will work)
· Youth Contest Release Form *
* You can obtain
these forms by clicking on the links above.
Calendar for 2020 Activities
March 28 - Recommended final date for Chapter contests
April 1 - Chapter Winners due to Bill Baker, PASSAR Rumbaugh Coordinator
TBD - SAR Pennsylvania Contest in Harrisburg
July 9-15 - SAR National Congress in Richmond, VA
For PASSAR
Compatriots:
Helpful
Suggestions for locating viable Contestants:
·
Contact local school Speech Teachers and Debate Team
Coaches directly as well as other community and
educational sources.
·
Focus on target High Schools in your Chapter’s area.
Please see the attached
FILE.
·
Local DAR or newspapers may have contacts that will aid
you in acquiring contestants.
Where a chapter
has two or three applicants, it is recommended to
consider
opportunities to combine your competition with another
chapter to be more efficient in using Judges.
Each chapter would still need to identify their
chapter’s winner.
__________
For further information and assistance for Pennsylvania applicants,
please contact the PASSAR Rumbaugh Oration coordinator:
State President
passar.president@passar.org