Townsend Student a State Winner
in PBS Inaugural Speech Contest

BOZEMAN - - If Pres. Clinton wants to know what Montanans think he should say in his inaugural speech in January he would do well to consult Heather Beck of Townsend. Beck is the Montana winner in a national contest in which high school seniors pen the inaugural speech they believe the president should give. .

The state contest, sponsored by KUSM-TV, Montana Public Television based at Montana State University-Bozeman, is part of a national contest which rewards the national winner -- to be announced in early January -- with a trip to Inauguration Day festivities in Washington, D.C., courtesy of PBS's Democracy Project.

High school seniors in more than 200 classrooms in all 50 states and the District of Columbia submitted speeches to PBS. One winner from each state and the District of Columbia were selected. The participating schools were selected by PBS and its member stations in conjunction with advisors from the national education community.

"We congratulate Heather Beck and wish her good luck as she moves to the final round of judging," said Jack Hyyppa, MSU professor and manager of KUSM-TV. "This contest is part our continuing effort to make the democratic process exciting and relevant to students in Montana."

The entries were judged on content, originality, language and style. by representatives of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the Close Up Foundation. National finalists will be chosen by The PBS Democracy Project Advisory Group, which includes leading figures in journalism, public affairs, and government.

. The national winner and two runners-up will be chosen from the finalists. In addition to the trip to the inaugural ceremony, PBS will provide the winner a $1,000 scholarship. The second- and third-place winners will receive $750 and $500 scholarships, respectively. The three entries will be posted on PBS's Democracy Project Web site (http://www.pbs.org/democracy).

The PBS Democracy Project Presidential Inaugural Speech Contest is funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Montana Public Television serves most of Montana, including the Missoula area beginning in January. The station broadcasts non-commercial educational, cultural, public affairs, children's and "how-to" programming. The station also provides a variety of educational and outreach services.

KUSM and its services can also be accessed via its web sits at http://visions.montana.edu.