The fifth graders at Roulhac Middle School held their grade-wide Tropicana Speech Competition on Thursday.  Parents and students listened as 24 students presented their personally created speeches to three local judges. 

The students were selected from their reading classes last week.  Students in the classes of Debbie Bush, Windy Padgett and Donna Smith had been participating in the Tropicana and 4-H sponsored event held annually among fourth, fifth and sixth grades.  This public speaking program benefits every student in the areas of writing, research and public speaking. 

The top three winners from each reading class competed grade-wide, and the top three from each grade will compete on May 8 at the county-wide level. 

The RMS fifth grade winners (pictured above) and their topics included: Kensey Aukema, Laughter, first place; Ashlyn Jeffries, Cell Phones, second place; and Sarah Eck, Animal Cruelty, third place.