Four Fayette

students placed in the Optimist International Oratorical Contest for Zone

10 recently at the Fayette County Public Library.

Hosted by the

Optimist Club of Fayetteville, there were club level winners from Fayette

County and Henry County.

The contest

was open to boys and girls in public, private or parochial schools who

had not obtained the age of 16 prior to or on Jan. 1.

The six winners

competing in the Zone 10 level were Kendell Harrell, Brian Ingram, Jake

Hearn, Andrea Zonnevelo, Lindsey Mitchell and Kanya Singhapakdi.

Taking first

place for the boys was Kendell Harrell, 11, a student at St. John's Catholic

School.

He spoke on

his vision for the future in which there will be more far-reaching medicines,

a woman president and the field of technology continuing in a constant

state of change. He pointed out that a number of presidents had formerly

been governors of their states. "At the current time," he said,

"there are four women who are governors of their states.

"There

is good medicine and there is bad medicine and I encourage the medical

field to be careful of what they present to the market," he said.

Second place

went to Brian Ingram, 14, Rising Starr Middle School, and third place

went to Jake Hearn, 16, Henry County High School.

Chosen as first

place for the girls was Andrea Zonnevelo, 14, a student at Starr's Mill

High School.

"We are

the future," she said, "and we must be able to take the risks

involved in advancing to the future. We must be innovative and become

as familiar with our computer mouse as those in the past became familiar

with the slide rule and the typewriter.

"Are we

in danger of not being needed any more? No, because our brain allows us

to question our approach to a problem; a computer cannot do that."

Second place

went to Kanya Singhapakdi, 12, a student at Rising Starr Middle School

and third place went to Lindsey Mitchell, 15, Henry County High School.

The top two

will head to Macon in April to participate in the district contest where

the winners will receive $1,500 scholarships.

The first,

second and third winners at the club level received medallions, and at

the zone level, each received a plaque.

Fayetteville

club President Joe Lundell thanked the judges, County Commissioner Linda

Wells; school Principal Mike Maxwell; Chris Snell, director of the Fayette

County Public Library, and serving as the timer, Marion Blume, a former

coach and teacher at Woodward Academy and McIntosh High School.