Tea Party Speech Principals Contest

REDLANDS >> Five college students, or college-bound high school students, will compete May 5 for $3,500 in scholarship prize money in the first-ever “Tea Party Principles” speech contest. “We’ve had young people and college students attending our meetings for years,” Redlands Tea Party Patriots cabinet member, John Berry said. “We’ve featured them on stage before, but we thought it was high time to give them an opportunity to show what they could do and award them some scholarship money for their efforts.” The two-hour meeting of the Redlands Tea Party Patriots starts at 7 p.m. at the Mill Creek Cattle Co., 1874 Mentone Blvd. in Mentone. Doors open at 5:30. The meeting is free and open to the public. The five students come from communities as far away as Big Bear and Forrest Falls. They are all in college or college-bound. They are: •Ashley Grace Wood, age 18, 12th grade, Riverbend Classical Academy. Ashley Grace will attend Cal Baptist University next fall and will be completing a dual major in Political Science and U.S. History. Her ultimate goal is to become U.S. Secretary of State. •Isabella Fortuna, age 18, lives in Forest Falls and currently attends Dikaios Christian Academy. Isabella is very creative, loves to draw and is an avid reader. Isabella has recently taken up an interest in politics and realizes that she has a voice and a say in our government and that her vote counts. •Troy Obernolte is a freshman at Big Bear High School where he is very involved in live theater and singing. Troy has been exposed to politics for most of his life and this has given him an understanding of the role of government in society and the importance of being an active citizen. •Wade Preciado is a senior at Grand Terrace High School where he ranks second in his class. He will be attending the US Naval Academy in June and will be studying Mechanical Engineering. He would like to make a career in the Navy and hopefully become a Naval attorney. •Price Morgan, age 18, sophomore at Los Angeles Harbor College, political science major. Besides attending college, Price works as a speech and debate coach for young children and is a children’s party performer. Price has been very interested in American politics since 2012. State Sen. Mike Morrell, as well as state Assemblymen Marc Steinorth and Jay Olbernolte, will be on hand to present certificates to the contest winners. Morrell will also award an internship. Judges include Toastmaster Julius Botelho, Murrieta Commissioner Reginald Wadlington, congressional representative Jan Leja, congressional candidate Sean Flynn, and speech committee member Maggie Brummett.