Lions Club Speaker Contest participants, from left, Isabella Bastiani, Destiny Hutchison, Evelyn Griggs, Gwendolyn Freer and Lions Club President Barbara Ott. Courtesy photo

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - The Gridley Lions Club invited youth from the surrounding area to the Lion’s Den for the 89th annual California Lions Student Speaker Contest.

The contest is open to students in ninth through 12th grades in California. The Gridley Lions Club offers participation to students from Gridley, Biggs and Esperanza high schools.

This year, four students addressed the topic, “Youth Mental Health: Overcoming Barriers to Well Being.”

Lions Club President Barbara Ott said that after the club level, a speaker who advances through each stage of the contest and wins at the state level could earn more than $22,000 in scholarship funds.

On Feb. 18, the Lions heard from the four speakers and selected Isabella Bastiani, a senior at Gridley High School, as the club-level winner.

The other contestants were Gwendolyn Freer, a senior at Gridley High School; Evelyn Griggs, a junior at Gridley High School; and Destiny Hutchison, a senior at Gridley High School.

Bastiani will advance to the Zone Level Student Speaker Contest at 7 p.m. March 4 at the Lion’s Den, 186 Washington St., Gridley. She will compete against winners from other Lions clubs in the area.

Ott said that if Bastiani wins at the zone level, she will move on to regional competition, which will be held March 26 at the Lion’s Den in Gridley.