Pottstown Sophomore Takes 1st in Speech Contest

Logan Ruyak, at right, beat these four competitors at the

Rotary Club district 4-Way Test Speech contest in Reading.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown Rotary Club

Logan Ruyak, a sophomore at Pottstown High School, placed first in the 4-Way Test speech contest on April 28, at the 2018 Rotary District-7430 Conference in Reading.

Logan’s first insight just seconds into her speech was that for all of the existing rules and explanation of the 4-Way test, it simply comes down to “how to separate right from wrong”.

Under contest rules, contestants are free to select any topic upon which to base their five- to seven-minute speech. Logan selected the divisiveness of political parties, which she took on with the focus and wisdom in an analysis well beyond her years.

Her choice of topic and comments resounded well among the 300 members, friends and guests of Rotary who were in the audience.

Logan’s competed against juniors and seniors on Saturday, with their topics as varied as climate change and educational inequality. 

The 2018 competition began in March with 100 students from 30 high schools, sponsored by 27 local Rotary clubs in the Rotary district comprising a large area in eastern Pennsylvania.

Logan and Pottstown Rotary member Mike Sloane, 

who coordinated the contest.

While awaiting results after the presentation, Logan publicly thanked her home room teacher in Pottstown, Diane Fox, for encouraging her participation in the contest. 

Fox and members of Logan’s family were then on hand to witness and congratulate the student on the winner announcement. 

Mike Sloane, the Pottstown Rotary Club’s coordinator for the contest, said that “Logan’s professional poise and demeaner already guarantee her success in whatever field she chooses. We are Pottstown Proud of Logan.” 

In addition to sponsoring the winning student, Mike Bright, President of the local Pottstown Rotary Club noted that the Pottstown Club stands out among the other 26 participating clubs “as the only local club sponsoring competitors from three high schools with Pottstown, Pottsgrove, and the Hill School.”

The Rotary International ethics test, characterized as “the 4-Way Test” asks four questions of everything we think, say or do:
-is truthful?
-is it fair?
-does it develop goodwill and better friendships?
-is it beneficial to all concerned?

Logan with family members, and Bright, Fox and Sloane.

The test has been translated into more than a hundred languages; one of its most well-known uses has been as the foundation for the annual speech contest for high school students.

The Pottstown Rotary Club is an active service club providing support by way of volunteers and financial donation for many activities in the area, including the Halloween and Fourth of July parades, scholarships, the Rotary Pavilion at Riverfront Park, Habitat for Humanity, the Pottstown Regional Public Library, and the Pottstown School District Walking School Bus, as well as its well-known international programs to ensure access to clean water and the elimination of polio.