John Tyler Student Wins Oration Contest

TYLER — A senior Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) student at John Tyler High School, Breana Mobley, received first place in the Joseph S. Raumbaugh Oration Contest hosted by the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) at their state convention in Houston. Breana will represent the Texas SAR as she competes in the National Sons of the American Revolution Congress Convention June 28 in Louisville, Kentucky. In the Oration contest, contestants prepare and deliver a speech that must be original, no less than five minutes or more than six minutes, and must discuss an event, personality, or document that pertains to the Revolutionary War. The event discussed must also show a relationship to America today.

“It feels surreal to have won,” Breana said. “I wrote about a subject I was very passionate about and I knew I liked the content, but I had no idea that it would be received so well. I’m extremely grateful to the SAR organization for their support and generosity and also to my coach, Ms. Caldwell, for the time and effort she has put into preparing me for the competition. I will put my best effort into preparing for the national competition and representing the Texas chapter of SAR well.”

Her teacher is April Caldwell. “Watching Breana speak was one of the highlights of my career. She spoke with passion, knowledge and conviction. It was so well written and presented that most of the audience sat in complete awe.”

In the Picture, Breana is seen at the state convention with local SAR member John Merrit. Through her achievements at the district and state levels of completion, Breana has already won $2,750 in scholarship money.