Palmetto student wins speech contest

Shannon Heiden, a senior involved in the Future Farmers of America at Palmetto High School, won the Manatee River Soil and Water Conservation District sponsored speech contest recently.

That win qualified her to advance to an area contest in the spring.

Shannon won $150 for taking first place in the contest designed to develop leadership abilities through public speaking, and for stimulating interest in conserving natural resources.

Brooks Larkin, a student at Nolan Middle School, was awarded $100 for placing second. Home-school student Zac Wiedeman placed third and received $75.