On Wednesday, March 12, Stephenson County 4-H families gathered on the Highland Community College campus for the annual Stephenson County 4-H Public Speaking and Demonstrations Contest. This event gave 4-H youth, ages 8 to 18, the opportunity to showcase their communication skills and compete for a chance to advance to the State 4-H Public Speaking Contest, scheduled for Saturday, April 26, at Parkland College in Champaign, IL.
4-H excels in preparing youth to speak confidently, and this contest provides a platform for youth to highlight their presentation abilities in a supportive environment. Participants were able to select from four divisions: Formal Speech, Illustrated Speech, Original Works, and Oral Interpretation. Additionally, there were non-state contest eligible divisions, including Food Demonstration and General Demonstration.
Jen Schultz, Stephenson County 4-H Youth Program Coordinator, shared her thoughts on the event: "The Public Speaking and Demonstrations Contest is an opportunity for our youth to develop critical life skills, such as confidence, communication, and leadership. I am impressed by the passion displayed by our participants, and I’m excited for them to represent Stephenson County at the State contest in April."
This year’s contest featured presentations by Lilliana Smith, a member of the Pearl Valley Rangers 4-H Club, and Shelby Stone, a member of the Snappy Snazzers 4-H Club. Both youth participated in the Formal Speech event for ages 8-13. Lilliana delivered a compelling speech on pet adoption, while Shelby shared her experience as the National Petite Miss Agriculture USA. Both received blue ribbons and earned spots to compete at the State contest on April 26. Shelby was also awarded the Champion trophy for Public Speaking, sponsored by Pat and Denny Dietmeier.
In addition to her speech, Lilliana also participated in the Oral Interpretation division, where she read “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman. Her performance earned her a blue ribbon and the Reserve Champion ribbon for Public Speaking.
The judge for the event, Sarah Harbach of Warren, IL, provided necessary feedback to the participants, offering valuable insights to help them refine their public speaking skills and further develop their presentation abilities.
Lilliana will also be presented with a portfolio, generously donated by the Stephenson County Farm Bureau, in recognition of her participation in a Public Speaking Workshop held in Rockford on February 4.
We congratulate all the participants and look forward to seeing these talented youth represent Stephenson County at the State 4-H Public Speaking Contest.
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 700 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 six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.