Stephenson County 4-H members recently showcased their confidence and communication skills during the Stephenson County 4-H Public Presentations Contest held Tuesday, March 10 at the University of Illinois Extension Office on the Highland Community College Campus.
Nine youth from across the county gathered to demonstrate their public speaking abilities and compete for the opportunity to advance to the Illinois State 4-H Public Speaking Contest, which will be held at the end of April.
“Stephenson County 4-H members did an outstanding job,” said Jen Schultz, Stephenson County 4-H Program Coordinator. “From the originality and creativity of their topics to their ability to speak clearly and confidently in front of an audience, each participant showed the hard work and preparation that went into their presentations.”
Competition was strong across the various classes, with each speaker demonstrating impressive poise and preparation. It was clear that many hours of practice and thoughtful planning went into preparing for the evening’s event.
Three contestants — Liliana Smith, Colette Brinkmeier, and Cara Brinkmeier — were also recognized with portfolios from the Stephenson County Farm Bureau for participating in the 4-H Public Speaking Workshop held in Rockford in February. The workshop, hosted in partnership with the Farm Bureau, helps youth learn how to effectively communicate their message to an audience while developing skills in writing and delivering a speech.
Top awards were presented in both age divisions. In the Junior division (ages 5–13), Shelby Stone earned Champion honors with her formal speech titled “Family Traditions,” while Colette Brinkmeier received Reserve Champion with her illustrated speech on how to make slime. In the Senior division, Alaina Dinderman was named Champion for her formal speech, “I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!”
Advancing to the state competition as State Fair Delegates will be Shelby Stone, Colette Brinkmeier, and Liliana Smith. Named as State Fair Alternates are Alaina Dinderman and Hope Brinkmeier.
Stephenson County 4-H extends congratulations to all of the participants for their dedication and hard work.
Awards for the contest are made possible through generous donations from community members who support local 4-H youth. Individuals or businesses interested in donating toward an award for a 4-H show category are encouraged to contact the 4-H office.
Stephenson County 4-H is about more than showing animals at the fair. Members can participate in activities such as the Public Speaking Contest, community service projects, leadership development opportunities, and much more. To learn more about joining 4-H, contact Stephenson County 4-H at the University of Illinois Extension office in Freeport at (815) 235-4125 or visit Illinois 4‑H online at www.go.illinois.edu/SC4-H.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 500 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.