Three students from Watsonville High School stepped up to the microphone Wednesday in an Annual Speech Contest hosted by the Rotary Club of Watsonville.
The event, which was part of the club’s regular Wednesday lunch meeting at Jalisco Mexican restaurant, brought seniors Giovanni Herrera, Daisy Sanchez, and Lluvia Zavala forth to deliver their five-minute prepared speeches.
With a cast of local dignitaries sprinkled in the crowd of about 35 people, including Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Heather Contreras, Mayor Kristal Salcedo, former Watsonville High principal Murry Schekman and current principal Joe Gregorio, each student hammered out their best efforts for the Rotary Club to single out a winner.
The speeches explored a range of topics, including the dangers of pesticide use in area farms, especially near schools and neighborhoods, the importance of agriculture to the Pajaro Valley and the importance of kindness, thoughtfulness, fairness and the value of a culture of respect.
The winner went home with $200, second place with $100 and third, $50. In the next advanced round, held at other locations, the winner will claim $300; After that, first place takes $700 and the final first place earns $1,500.Zavala, who claimed first place, wants to study accounting, which second place winner Herrera said he plans to study agriculture business in college. Sanchez, in third place, said she’s interested in studying political science.
