MADISON — Madison Central School District junior Olivia Crane earned third place May 6 in the Optimist International New York/New England District Oratorical Competition at the Burrstone Inn in New Hartford.

The Optimist International Oratorical Contest has been held worldwide since 1928. The contest is designed to help students grow toward overcoming the widely held fear of public speaking, develop presentation skills, gain self-assurance, and have the opportunity to earn scholarship money for college.

Students prepare a four- to five-minute speech on a chosen theme that reflects the Optimist Club’s mission. This year’s topic was “Discovering the Optimism Within Me.”

Crane competed against a field of nine other students from around the Northeastern United States in a day-long competition, and came very close to advancing to the world finals held in St. Louis, Missouri. As part of her third place prize, Crane received a medal, certificate and a scholarship in the amount of $1,000.

The junior evolved and improved her work while advancing through different layers of competition to reach this point. After advancing from her classroom competition, Crane was second in Madison’s school-wide competition. That qualified her to advance to a zone-level competition held in Waterville, where she was crowned the champion.

She joined Madison’s school-level winner, Michael McBride at the zone competition. McBride came in third place at that level of competition.

The Madison Central School District thanked Optimist International and the Madison Optimist Club for opening this door of opportunity for its students to grow and prosper.