Glasgow High School students Taylor Olendorff and Riley Olendorff have been selected as winners of the 2025 4th Congressional District Speech Contest, sponsored by U.S. Representative Mark Alford.

Now in its second year, the Congressional Speech Contest invites high school students from across Missouri’s 4th District to submit original speeches based on a prompt issued by Congressman Alford. This year’s theme was, “What Does It Mean to Stand for Freedom.”

As part of their recognition, both speeches will be formally read into the Congressional Record on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives during a live session.

This marks the second consecutive year Glasgow High School has been represented at the national level through this contest. In 2024, Aly Prentzler’s speech on “What America Means to Me” was selected during the inaugural competition and received the same honor of being presented on the House floor.

Congressman Mark Alford, who represents Missouri’s 4th District, is a former television news anchor and small business owner. He has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since January 2023 and is a member of the House Armed Services, Agriculture, and Small Business Committees.