Students from juvenile facilities across Maryland are set to participate in the 24th Annual Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) Oratorical Contest. The event will be held at the Maryland Court of Appeals on November 14.
Judge Clayton Greene, Jr., along with a panel of judges and an audience of families and supporters, will listen to the finalists' speeches inspired by Rudyard Kipling's poem "If." The students reached the finals after winning competitions in their respective DJS facilities.
The contest is co-sponsored by the DJS and the Maryland State Department of Education. Media members are invited to attend but must obtain prior approval from the Maryland Judiciary’s Government Relations and Public Affairs Division.
Photography and videography are permitted under specific conditions that align with DJS policies. Interviews with students are allowed; however, identifying details such as names, addresses, or offenses cannot be disclosed.