On Thursday, May 1, there was a letter to the editor that stressed concern over the lack of recognition given to non-athletic student activities. It is with great pride that I can say the Mankato Rotary Club has honored outstanding student achievement in the areas of speech and debate since the 1950’s.

The Rotary Forensics Banquet is a great example of students who are honored for non-athletic curricular activities every May. This annual banquet honors three outstanding debate/speech students from each high school (Mankato East, Mankato West, and Loyola). One student from each school will present their program that brought them success in other competitions.

At the conclusion of the night, Mankato Rotary will award one student from each school with a $200 scholarship. It is a very well attended event by Rotarians, the students and their families and coaches.

The Mankato Rotary Club will continue this event on May 21 when nine more students will be recognized with three students each receiving a $200 scholarship. This is just one of many programs the club has in place to award outstanding student achievement in the community.