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Teen slated to participate in national oratory competition
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| Columbia High School senior Teal Holland, 18, won first place in the Florida General Baptist Congress of Christian Education Oratorical Contest. She will now advance to the nationals in Louisville, Ky. JASON MATTHEW WALKER/Lake City Reporter |
By TONY BRITT
tbritt@lakecityreporter.com
WINFIELD — As an 18-year-old young woman, Teal Holland won’t surprise many people with her physical stature.
When you put her in front of a church audience in a speech competition reciting an essay about scriptures, however, she has the talent and conviction to make an audience take notice.
Holland recently used her talent and vocal ability to win the annual Florida General Baptist Congress of Christian Education’s oratory competition. With the win, she’ll be representing the state in the national competition on June 16 in Louisville, Ky.
“It felt really good to win because for a long time no one represented Florida,” she said. “So, I’m excited to be representing all, not just the black community, but our whole community on another level at nationals.”
The Florida General Baptist Congress of Christian Education spans about 26 districts statewide and the contest was open to every church that’s part of the Florida General Baptist Congress. The 2008 competition was the 76th annual session of the oratorical contest and at the state finals Holland faced-off against three other contestants.
Holland, a Columbia High School senior, is a member of the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Winfield with the Rev. Alvin Greene, who serves as the church’s pastor. The church is a member of the Suwannee River District the Florida General Baptist Congress of Christian Education.
In the competition, contestants are judged on their memorization, theme, body language and posture as well as how well they communicate.
The presentation is done without a microphone and the participants have to speak loud enough that a crowd of at least 300 will be able to hear them.
“It means a lot of us to see her go this far in the contest because it shows us she’s letting God lead and guide her, and this is going to be very helpful for her in the future,” said Jackie Ortiz, Holland’s mother.
As part of her presentation, Holland is required to deliver an 800-word oral presentation from an essay she wrote based on her interpretation of a scripture.
Her essay is titled “The Heavenly Vision and Morals of the Church,” and she uses portions of Ephesians 5:17 and 5:21 as the foundation of her essay, where she talks about living a life of high morals and high standards and speaks as a young Christian against drinking, smoking and stealing.
Holland said she’s been practicing her presentation since November and started practicing as soon as she learned the dates of the district competition.
“We’re very proud of her accomplishments and we’re trusting through this process it’s going to help her as she continues to mature in life,” said Henry Ortiz, Holland’s father, who is also a minister. “Later on she’ll be able to handle things at the university level or when she finally becomes a wife or young lady on her own. I think this is a great step for her to continue to mature and she’s very mature for her age.”
Holland said she felt like a local celebrity after making her way to the national competition.
“I felt famous. Everybody was congratulating me — even people I don’t know,” she said.
When you put her in front of a church audience in a speech competition reciting an essay about scriptures, however, she has the talent and conviction to make an audience take notice.
Holland recently used her talent and vocal ability to win the annual Florida General Baptist Congress of Christian Education’s oratory competition. With the win, she’ll be representing the state in the national competition on June 16 in Louisville, Ky.
“It felt really good to win because for a long time no one represented Florida,” she said. “So, I’m excited to be representing all, not just the black community, but our whole community on another level at nationals.”
The Florida General Baptist Congress of Christian Education spans about 26 districts statewide and the contest was open to every church that’s part of the Florida General Baptist Congress. The 2008 competition was the 76th annual session of the oratorical contest and at the state finals Holland faced-off against three other contestants.
Holland, a Columbia High School senior, is a member of the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Winfield with the Rev. Alvin Greene, who serves as the church’s pastor. The church is a member of the Suwannee River District the Florida General Baptist Congress of Christian Education.
In the competition, contestants are judged on their memorization, theme, body language and posture as well as how well they communicate.
The presentation is done without a microphone and the participants have to speak loud enough that a crowd of at least 300 will be able to hear them.
“It means a lot of us to see her go this far in the contest because it shows us she’s letting God lead and guide her, and this is going to be very helpful for her in the future,” said Jackie Ortiz, Holland’s mother.
As part of her presentation, Holland is required to deliver an 800-word oral presentation from an essay she wrote based on her interpretation of a scripture.
Her essay is titled “The Heavenly Vision and Morals of the Church,” and she uses portions of Ephesians 5:17 and 5:21 as the foundation of her essay, where she talks about living a life of high morals and high standards and speaks as a young Christian against drinking, smoking and stealing.
Holland said she’s been practicing her presentation since November and started practicing as soon as she learned the dates of the district competition.
“We’re very proud of her accomplishments and we’re trusting through this process it’s going to help her as she continues to mature in life,” said Henry Ortiz, Holland’s father, who is also a minister. “Later on she’ll be able to handle things at the university level or when she finally becomes a wife or young lady on her own. I think this is a great step for her to continue to mature and she’s very mature for her age.”
Holland said she felt like a local celebrity after making her way to the national competition.
“I felt famous. Everybody was congratulating me — even people I don’t know,” she said.
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