State speech champion named Bicentennial Citizen of the Week

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Last Updated on March 18, 2016 by cassnetwork

bicentennialA Logansport High School junior has been named the latest and youngest recipient of a special city award.

Jake Hoover, who recently was named the state speech champion in original oratory at Fishers High School, has been named a winner of the Logansport Bicentennial Citizen of the Week.

“In Jake, LHS has an example of a student who has picked up the gauntlet from past generations of students and won the first state championship in 22 years,” Mayor Dave Kitchell said. “LHS has a long and storied tradition when it comes to its speech program, dating back to Coach R.S. Justice and on to Coach B.J. Siefert and now coach Jessica Kranz. We were fortunate to have a national champion in Mike Mandell in 1977 and we’ve had many national qualifiers since then who have ranked among the best speech students in Indiana.”

Kitchell, who coached speech while a teacher at Lewis Cass Junior-Senior High School, says he has a special appreciation for the original oratory competition and the subject Hoover chose.

“A high school junior who can research and speak on a topic such as male mental health at this level is an example of a student with depth of understanding, which is sometimes an under-appreciated goal of 21st century education standards. We wish him well in future meets and next year as a defending state champion in his event.”

The Bicentennial Award is presented weekly this year to Logansport residents or residents who have distinguished themselves statewide or nationwide.
SOURCE: News release from Logansport Mayor Dave Kitchell

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