Moody reaches third round of Lions speech contest

Bonsall High School freshman Kani Moody reached the third round of this year's Lions Club speech contest.

Moody won the chapter-level contest, March 13, and the zone contest, March 21, before being eliminated in the region contest, April 17. Had Moody won the region contest, she would have competed in the district contest.

Greg Hinchliff is Bonsall High School's speech and debate adviser. It is his fourth year at the school; he taught a speech and debate class for the first three years, although this year speech and debate is a club rather than a class.

"The club this year has been a little bit smaller," Hinchliff said.

The 2020-2021 speech and debate club consists of three students: Moody, Mahala Sayler and Evan Harandi. All are ninth graders.

"Our whole team were freshmen, so that gives us a lot of potential to kind of grow moving forward," Hinchliff said.

The freshman status of the Bonsall High School participants meant that they competed against older students.

"They really stood their ground," Hinchliff said.

There was no school-level competition to determine which student or students advanced to the club level, although at the school level the students worked on their speeches.

"I had just been working and preparing them," Hinchliff said.

The speeches needed to be between five and 10 minutes.

"The Lions Club always chooses really relevant and apropos contest topics," Hinchliff said.

This year the topic was the pros and cons of distance and virtual learning. Many of the students were thus able to speak about their own experiences. Moody talked about her own distance learning, including the negative of missing an in-person middle school promotion and the positives of flexibility and the ability to review a recorded lesson.

The three Bonsall High School students began with Zoom presentations at the club level, which for Bonsall High School and Valley Center High School was hosted by the Pauma Valley Lions Club. All three advanced to the second round, which was in person at the clubhouse of the Rancho Calavero Mobile Home Park in Oceanside.

Only one contestant advanced from the zone level to the region level, and Moody was the student selected.

The region contest was held at the San Marcos Residence by Marriott. Moody was one of four competitors at that level.

Although Moody did not win the region contest, she received $100 for winning the club-level competition and $150 for first place at the zone level.

"She walked away with $250 in her pocket," Hinchliff said.

Moody also received certificates for her victories at the first two levels.

"I couldn't be prouder," Hinchliff said of his three 2020-2021 students. "Their effort really showed in the contest."

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].