4-H Public Speaking Contest

Washington County 4-H hosted the annual 4-H Public Speaking Contest for 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grade students. Despite the deluge of rain and power outage at the Ag Center, this year’s contest was a memorable one. With all speakers present, the contest began on time and in the dark. Students began delivering their speeches by the light of a cell phone with no microphone to amplify their voices in the large auditorium. This was no deterrent to these students – they spoke with confidence in spite of distractions!

This year’s participants from Kate M. Smith Elementary School, Vernon Elementary School, Roulhac Middle School, and Vernon Middle School included:

4^th grade – Ellie Rowe, Jackson Scurlock, Eva Gibson, Jude Clifton, Kaylee Hawkins, and Carter Berry.

5^th grade – Hunter Kangas, Easton Odom, Ethan Chestnut, Presley Sawyer, Laura Yates, and Reagan Wiwi

6^th grade – Gregory Leitner. Abigail Black, Kindel Whitaker, Kinsley Longo, Ava Fuentes, and Heather Martinez

Top placings included:

4^th grade – 1^st place Kaylee Hawkins, 2^nd place Jackson Scurlock, 3^rd place Carter Berry

5^th grade – 1^st place Presley Sawyer, 2^nd place Laura Yates, 3^rd place Ethan Chestnut

6^th grade – 1^st place Kinsley Longo, 2^nd place Abigail Black, 3^rd place Heather Martinez

Special thanks to Florida Power and Light, the statewide sponsor of the Florida 4-H Public Speaking Contest., and to the Washington County School District teachers and principals who continue to support this 4-H in the Classroom program.