LEWISTOWN, Ill. - The Fulton County 4-H Public Speaking Contest was held May 15 at the University of Illinois Extension office in Lewistown.  4-H member Elizabeth Reed presented a formal speech about the arts in education, and 4-H member Aliyah Janssen presented a humorous oral interpretation about a teacher. 

Both participants received Blue ratings. They both qualified to move on to the state contest to be held in Decatur in June. Elizabeth Reed was named Best of Show winner.

Judge for this event was Deon Maas, retired teacher and former member of the Toastmasters organization. She gave many helpful comments to the 4-H members.

Public Speaking is an important skill for youth to gain, and is practiced regularly in the 4-H program, through talks and demonstrations at 4-H club meetings and more. Learning to speak in front of even a few people can be less scary when the audience members are your friends. For more information on the University of Illinois Extension 4-H program in Fulton County, call the Extension Office at 309-547-3711.

SOURCE: Janis Blout, Fulton 4-H Program Coordinator, jblout@illinois.edu