A handful of local students will deliver speeches about the U.S. Constitution on Saturday during the American Legion Oratorical Contest.

The competition will take place in the Steven H. Nipp Post 143 in Post Falls.

"We've been working on expanding this, but this year we decided to go for it and advertise it more, and now we’ve got four speakers, possibly five," Post 143 Adjutant Tim Shaw said Thursday.

The winning orator will advance to the regional competition in Lewiston on Feb. 6. The winner of that competition will advance to the state contest in Boise. The national finals will be held April 9 through 11 in Indianapolis.

Young orators earn some of the most generous college scholarships available to high school students, according to information on the American Legion's website. More than $203,500 in scholarships can be awarded each year. The overall national contest winner gets a $25,000 scholarship. Second place takes home $22,500 and third place gets $20,000. Each department (state) winner who is certified into and participates in the national contest’s first round receives a $2,000 scholarship. Those who advance past the first round receive an additional $2,000 scholarship.

The American Legion’s National Organization awards the scholarships, which can be used at any college or university in the United States.

“This is all part of the Legion's Americanism program," said Shaw, who served in the Navy from 1975 to 1981. "Obviously, with the way things are heading today, we want to encourage kids to learn about the Constitution, learn what’s in it and pay attention to our rights that are given to us."

The contest will be held in a large banquet room with COVID protocols in place. Because of COVID, it will not be open to the public, but the winner and event details will be announced early next week.