"Those parts of thee that the world's eye doth view."

With this opening line from William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 69," preceded by selected lines from Benedick's monologue in Act 2, Scene 3, of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," Aaron Scotch, a senior at Union Pines High School, gave his winning presentation at the eighth annual Shakespeare Competition of the Sandhills/Pinehurst Chapter of the English-Speaking Union.

This event was held at the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities on Saturday, Feb. 26.

Scotch will receive a free trip to New York City in May to compete against 59 contestants from other English-Speaking Union chapters. The national winner will receive a full tuition scholarship to study acting in England. The runner-up in the competition was Zamir Sealy, a junior at Pinecrest High School. Each of the competitors memorized a Shakespeare monologue and a sonnet to present at the competition. They were judged on their understanding of Shakespeare, communication to the audience, artistic skill and overall impact. The judges were Shakespeare scholars, teachers and actors.

Ten finalists from four area high schools, who were selected from approximately 200 fellow students, participated in the competition. All 10 finalists were honored for their accomplishments and were presented with certificates of achievement and gift cards to be used at a local bookstore. From Pinecrest High School the participants were Jasmine Henderson, Laura Ott, Zamir Sealy, Suzanne Soboeiro and Jentry Womack; the faculty advisers were Libby Carter and Adam Faw. From Union Pines High School, the participants were Nina Rhoades and Aaron Scotch; the faculty adviser was Judy Osborne. From North Moore High School the participant was Caleb Garner; the faculty adviser was Clay Gaitskill. From Jack Britt High School, the participants were Alec Niccum and Gevony Steele; the faculty adviser was Hillary Bogers.

Graham Anthony, a visiting maritime scholar from Cambridge, England, was an added attraction at the competition. Anthony spoke on "The Defeat of the Spanish Armada - The Triumph of Elizabethan England."

The National Shakespeare Competition is held annually and includes entrants from 60 English-Speaking Union chapters in the United States. The Shakespeare Competition is one of many educational programs sponsored by the Sandhills/Pinehurst Chapter of the English-Speaking Union.

For more information about the English-Speaking Union's activities or membership information, call (910) 235-0635.