Almond Tree Middle School student Mardelano Booc had done well in oral language festivals and science fairs, but had never placed in a county final. In fact Booc had never made it to a county final until March 27, when his moving speech, peppered with humor and sorrow, changed all that, earning Booc first place honors in the 54th annual Kern County Henry Greve Speech Contest. The theme was "What it Means to be a Citizen of the United States in 2008." Booc focused on the sacrifices his family has made to become citizens -- traveling hundreds of miles, sometimes skipping work and school, to attend citizenship classes in Fresno. The annual competition between seventh and eighth-graders, hosted by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools at University Square in Bakersfield, has always been sponsored by Bakersfield Toastmasters Club #204, which also does the judging. Booc used a lot of humor, smiling and joking about what wonderful things being a citizen has allowed him to do. He said his light, easy and animated delivery was influenced by TV comedians Hugh Laurie and John C. McGinley, who portray doctors on sitcoms "House" and "Scrubs." More