For Windham High School senior Corey Brackett, competing in the 2026 American Legion Oratory Contest is about more than winning the event. She’s been focused on discovering her voice, strengthening her character, and carrying forward the legacy of American democracy. Whatever she’s done, it’s worked so far and earned Brackett a trip to the National Finals in May and a chance at earning a $25,000 college scholarship.
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| Windham High School senior Corey Brackett, representing Field-Allen Post 148 in Windham, won the American Legion Department of Maine High School Oratorical Contest on Feb. 14 at Thomas College in Waterville and was congratulated by Department of Maine Legion Commander Leroy McKenzie. With her win, Brackett qualified for the American Legion National Finals at Hillsdale College in Michigan on May 15 and a chance to earn a $25,000 college scholarship. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
Brackett says she first heard about the oratory contest in Windham from her uncle.
“I was meeting my Uncle Dave at the Windham Veteran Center after one of their meetings so we could drive together to get dinner,” Brackett said. “My uncle had told me to come inside as he had an interesting opportunity for me. I was then introduced to another veteran named David who told me about the oratorical contest. At first, I really struggled with picking what my oratorical should be about. The prompt itself is very broad, so it left much up to interpretation. I wanted to make sure I picked a strong topic that not only highlighted the importance of our constitution but how it applies today.”
The speech she developed centers on the importance of American citizens being aware of their rights so elected officials can pass laws that will protect those rights, and Americans don’t give them up so easily while also touching upon the importance of citizens to use their moral compass since the constitution was founded upon the need of a moral compass.
“It took me about a month to write it all, once I picked my topic,” she said. “I wanted to make sure I had plenty of information past and present to support the arguments I was making. I chose this specific topic because I wanted to pick something that was relevant to today while also highlighting the importance of the past. I wanted it to show how amazing our constitution truly is and how people need to take this, and their own lack of civil engagement and knowledge of their own rights more seriously.”
Having a love of history certainly helped Brackett to develop her speech.
“My favorite class I have taken at Windham High School would have to be AP U.S. history,” she said. “I’ve always loved history, but this class was not only great because it was taught so well by Mr. Poulin and allowed me to have a deeper understanding when it came to the timeline of this country than I’ve ever had before. Though at times the work could be grueling, I truly valued this class more than any other since it felt the most important. It gave me a deep dive into this country’s history, and a better knowledge of not only all the rights and freedoms we have today but the background to why they were put in place as well.”
She believes that there are two reasons why her presentation resonates with contest judges.
“One was the topic I chose. The prompt for this competition is quite broad but having a topic that touches upon the importance of the history of this, and how it applies today is definitely important,” Brackett said. “My other reason for success is I have a background in performing. I do musical theatre and the Windham Chamber Singers, which definitely helped me with my stage presence, and how I spoke. I felt confident when giving my oratorical as I am used to being on stage and having to project my voice and speak in a certain way so people cannot only hear me but hear me well.”
Her family, including her father Steve, her mother Susan, and her older sister, Sydney, are proud of her achievements in the contest. Her mother teaches fourth grade at Raymond Elementary School and will accompany her daughter while she competes in the National Finals in Michigan.
Since 1938, the American Legion Oratorical Competition has presented participants with an academic speaking challenge that teaches important leadership qualities, the history of our nation’s laws, the ability to think and speak clearly, and an understanding of the duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges of American citizenship.
The American Legion Oratorical Program is a speech contest for students who welcome learning and for the student who looks for an academic challenge and an opportunity to gain scholarship funding. The Legion's High School Oratorical Scholarship Program is a natural fit. Students learn valuable information about our country's constitution in a contest that has been held by The American Legion for more than 88 years.
The competition is a speech contest centered on the U.S. Constitution that provides winners with scholarship opportunities at all levels. Contestants are asked to speak on a topic of their choice related to the U.S. Constitution for eight to 10 minutes followed by a speech of about 3 to 5 minutes on a U. S. Constitution topic selected by the judges.
All high school students in Grades 9 to 12 in public high schools, private schools, parochial schools, military schools and home-schooled are invited to compete in the contest. Students who compete in the National Contest will receive at least a $2,000 scholarship with the final competition winner being awarded a $25,000 scholarship.
Brackett credits her uncle for not only alerting her of the contest opportunity but also supporting her as she prepared her speech.
“He would let me bounce ideas off of him, suggest an event in history for me to look at if he thought it would be helpful, and at one point let me run my speech for three hours straight with him,” she said.
Friends, family, and her teachers also helped Brackett to win the local, district and state contests.
“After practicing my speech in front of my family and the veterans, they helped me realized the importance of pregnant pauses for dramatic effect and that I needed to slow down at times,” she said. “Sometimes once I get to a specific point in my speech, I can get very excited and speed up at times. They helped me realize when I did this so I could correct it before the competition.”
Following graduation in June, Brackett will participate in basic training for the U.S. Air Force National Guard.
“After basic training, I will go to technical school where I will be training and learning to become an Aerospace Medical Technician,” Brackett said. “When technical school is finished, I am going to continue my schooling in Maine to focus on completing my nursing degree as doing it through the military allows me to complete around a year and a half to two years, instead of four. After all my education is finished, I will continue to serve in the Air Force National Guard while being either a Pediatric or an Oncology Nurse.”
When not in school, Brackett said she loves being outside in the summer months and riding a snowmobile in the winter.
“You can always find me paddle-boarding, playing pickleball and just hanging out on the pontoon in the summer,” she said. “I’m also a big people person so I love to spend my time hanging out with family or friends. A lot of my friends would say something that not a lot of my classmates know about me is my love for chess. I don’t think a lot of people know I like to play chess or even know how to play. I started to pick it up last year when a teacher at my school asked me if I wanted to learn. I instantly loved it.”
As for right now though, she’s continuing to get ready for the American Legion Oratory Contest National Finals and is not relenting on preparation for the event.
“I am going to continue practicing my speech throughout the week, and even potentially setting up some mock contests at the Windham Veterans Center to even better prepare for nationals,” she said. <
“It took me about a month to write it all, once I picked my topic,” she said. “I wanted to make sure I had plenty of information past and present to support the arguments I was making. I chose this specific topic because I wanted to pick something that was relevant to today while also highlighting the importance of the past. I wanted it to show how amazing our constitution truly is and how people need to take this, and their own lack of civil engagement and knowledge of their own rights more seriously.”
Having a love of history certainly helped Brackett to develop her speech.
“My favorite class I have taken at Windham High School would have to be AP U.S. history,” she said. “I’ve always loved history, but this class was not only great because it was taught so well by Mr. Poulin and allowed me to have a deeper understanding when it came to the timeline of this country than I’ve ever had before. Though at times the work could be grueling, I truly valued this class more than any other since it felt the most important. It gave me a deep dive into this country’s history, and a better knowledge of not only all the rights and freedoms we have today but the background to why they were put in place as well.”
She believes that there are two reasons why her presentation resonates with contest judges.
“One was the topic I chose. The prompt for this competition is quite broad but having a topic that touches upon the importance of the history of this, and how it applies today is definitely important,” Brackett said. “My other reason for success is I have a background in performing. I do musical theatre and the Windham Chamber Singers, which definitely helped me with my stage presence, and how I spoke. I felt confident when giving my oratorical as I am used to being on stage and having to project my voice and speak in a certain way so people cannot only hear me but hear me well.”
Her family, including her father Steve, her mother Susan, and her older sister, Sydney, are proud of her achievements in the contest. Her mother teaches fourth grade at Raymond Elementary School and will accompany her daughter while she competes in the National Finals in Michigan.
Since 1938, the American Legion Oratorical Competition has presented participants with an academic speaking challenge that teaches important leadership qualities, the history of our nation’s laws, the ability to think and speak clearly, and an understanding of the duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges of American citizenship.
The American Legion Oratorical Program is a speech contest for students who welcome learning and for the student who looks for an academic challenge and an opportunity to gain scholarship funding. The Legion's High School Oratorical Scholarship Program is a natural fit. Students learn valuable information about our country's constitution in a contest that has been held by The American Legion for more than 88 years.
The competition is a speech contest centered on the U.S. Constitution that provides winners with scholarship opportunities at all levels. Contestants are asked to speak on a topic of their choice related to the U.S. Constitution for eight to 10 minutes followed by a speech of about 3 to 5 minutes on a U. S. Constitution topic selected by the judges.
All high school students in Grades 9 to 12 in public high schools, private schools, parochial schools, military schools and home-schooled are invited to compete in the contest. Students who compete in the National Contest will receive at least a $2,000 scholarship with the final competition winner being awarded a $25,000 scholarship.
Brackett credits her uncle for not only alerting her of the contest opportunity but also supporting her as she prepared her speech.
“He would let me bounce ideas off of him, suggest an event in history for me to look at if he thought it would be helpful, and at one point let me run my speech for three hours straight with him,” she said.
Friends, family, and her teachers also helped Brackett to win the local, district and state contests.
“After practicing my speech in front of my family and the veterans, they helped me realized the importance of pregnant pauses for dramatic effect and that I needed to slow down at times,” she said. “Sometimes once I get to a specific point in my speech, I can get very excited and speed up at times. They helped me realize when I did this so I could correct it before the competition.”
Following graduation in June, Brackett will participate in basic training for the U.S. Air Force National Guard.
“After basic training, I will go to technical school where I will be training and learning to become an Aerospace Medical Technician,” Brackett said. “When technical school is finished, I am going to continue my schooling in Maine to focus on completing my nursing degree as doing it through the military allows me to complete around a year and a half to two years, instead of four. After all my education is finished, I will continue to serve in the Air Force National Guard while being either a Pediatric or an Oncology Nurse.”
When not in school, Brackett said she loves being outside in the summer months and riding a snowmobile in the winter.
“You can always find me paddle-boarding, playing pickleball and just hanging out on the pontoon in the summer,” she said. “I’m also a big people person so I love to spend my time hanging out with family or friends. A lot of my friends would say something that not a lot of my classmates know about me is my love for chess. I don’t think a lot of people know I like to play chess or even know how to play. I started to pick it up last year when a teacher at my school asked me if I wanted to learn. I instantly loved it.”
As for right now though, she’s continuing to get ready for the American Legion Oratory Contest National Finals and is not relenting on preparation for the event.
“I am going to continue practicing my speech throughout the week, and even potentially setting up some mock contests at the Windham Veterans Center to even better prepare for nationals,” she said. <
