Joseph Fish, a senior at Enterprise High School, earned a spot in the Oregon state finals of the 86th Annual American Legion High School Oratorical U.S. Constitution Speech Contest, and collected a $1,500 scholarship.

Fish punched his ticket to the state finals, held in Lebanon over Presidents Day weekend, at the Legion’s local contest, held Dec. 30 in Enterprise.

Fish said he hopes to attend either Montana State University or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study computer science.

In the Legion contest, high school students prepare and deliver speeches of eight to 10 minutes on some aspect of the U.S. Constitution. But each contestant must then prepare an impromptu speech of three to five minutes on a subject related to the Constitution; the contestants do not know beforehand what the topic will be. In the state finals in Lebanon, the topic involved the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees the right to jury trial and counsel.

Fish finished sixth in the state competition.

The winner of the state competition, Hannah Hurty, a senior at Summit Learning Charter School is Carlton, won a $5,000 scholarship and the right to advance to the national finals of the Legion contest, to be held in April in Indianapolis.

Maria Tye, the commander of Kruse Post 72 in Wallowa, served as the master of ceremonies for the state competition, which is intended to foster a deeper appreciation for the Constitution among the students. It’s one of the signature events sponsored by the Legion, which is part of the reason why Tye, the new commander of Kruse Post 72, has been intent on bringing it back locally. This year’s competition in Wallowa County was the first held for many years.

Tye said she hopes that as word gets out about the contest, more students will participate next academic year. The contest is open to students from ninth to 12th grade, and students can participate each year they’re in high school.

For more information, email Tye at corey0071@gmail.com.