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Masoom to compete in American Legion state oratorical contest
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Platteville High School junior Sumaia Masoom (second from right), winner of the district American Legion Oratorical Contest Feb. 3, is pictured with (from left) Terry Woolf, Grant County Oratorical Chairman and Vice Commander of Post 42 of Platteville, and Jane Gassman and Ken Gassman of Post 42. Masoom will be competing at Ripon College Saturday for the right to go to the national contest in Indianapolis.

Sumaia Masoom, a junior at Platteville High School, won thealocal, county and district levels of the American Legion Oratorical Contest.

Masoom will be competing at Ripon College Saturday. Regional competition will be in the morning, and the state competition will be in the afternoon.

The winner of the state competition Saturday will advance to the National American Legion Oratorical Contest in Indianapolis.

At each level the contestant presents an 8- to 10-minute prepared oration on the U.S. Constitution or one of its amendments. Following that the contestant gives a three- to five-minute speech on one of three amendments to the Constitution. The amendment to speak upon is drawn, and the contestant is given five minutes to prepare. Ahead of the contest the participants know the three amendments that are possible choices.

Masoom started by winning the Platteville American Legion Oratorical Contest Jan. 5. She then won the Grant County American Legion Oratorical Contest in Fennimore Jan. 13. The contest was judged by Sam Jonas, a retired teacher from Lancaster High School; Ken Thiede, a guidance counselor at Richland Center High School and John Dutcher, a member of the Toastmasters Organization. Timekeepers were Jim Hying of the Muscoda American Legion and Dan O’Brien of the Darlington American Legion.

At the Third District American Legion Oratorical Contest at Barneveld High School Feb. 3, Masoom competed with contestants from Lafayette, Iowa, Dane, Richland and Crawford counties.