The 17th Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition pays tribute to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. Fourth- and fifth-grade students will compose and present original speeches, not to exceed five minutes, addressing the topic: "If you could talk directly to Dr. King about your dream for our future, what would you tell him?"

More than 240 students representing 24 Houston ISD schools participated in the school-wide competitions held Oct. 22 through Nov. 6, where one student from each participating school was selected to advance to the preliminary round to be held on Jan. 11 at Thompson Elementary School, where 12 finalists earned a spot in the final competition. Students are judged on delivery, stage presence and decorum, content interpretation and memorization.

The 2013 competition includes participants from the following schools: Anderson, Atherton, Bruce, Burrus, Cornelius, Crespo, Dodson, Garden Villas, Golfcrest, Gregg, Gross, Lockhart, MacGregor, Park Place, Pleasantville, Port Houston, Rodriguez, Sutton, Thompson, Valley West, Wainwright, Whidby, Windsor Village and Woodson.