Youth from throughout Lincoln County were provided with an opportunity to practice and enhance their public speaking skills during this year’s Communication Contest. During this pre-fair event, youth were able to share an illustrated talk, give an original speech, read poetry, prose or a story. The contest was held on Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Lincoln County Service Center in Merrill. Peter and Maxine Schuetze along with Becky Schleif served as coordinators for the contest; Jean Berger served as the judge; and Bailey Iwen, 4-H Ambassador served as the emcee for the contest.
The Communications Contest is open to all youth grades kindergarten to 13th grade (one year out of high school). A study conducted by the Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development program found that children that participate in 4-H arts and communication programs gain important technical, communication and teamwork skills while increasing their self-esteem and self-confidence. Youth who took part in this survey reported that their work with 4-H helped them improve their individual performance and creativity skills, build good learning habits as they integrated feedback from judges, and bolstered their opportunities to become confident public speakers. The Communication Contest is an example of a local 4-H arts and communication program in Lincoln County.
Participants included:
CLOVERBUD DIVISION – KINDERGARTEN to 2nd Grade
“Baby Owls” a reading of prose, Siobhan Schuetze, Pine River Peppers 4-H Club, Participation Ribbon; “Muscovy Ducks” an illustrated talk, Siobhan Schuetze, Pine River Peppers 4-H Club, Participation Ribbon.
JUNIOR DIVISION – 3RD to 5th Grade
“Jamberry” a reading of prose, Merin Yates, Pine River Pioneer Sunrise 4-H Club, Red Ribbon; Excerpt from “Wings of Fire” a reading of prose, Kekoa Schuetze, Pine River Peppers 4-H Club, Blue Ribbon and Best of Show; “The Little Prince” a reading of prose, Ian Schuetze, Pine River Peppers 4-H Club, Red Ribbon; “Bear’s Loose Tooth” a reading of prose, Dafney Yates, Pine River Pioneer Sunrise 4-H Club, Blue Ribbon and Honorable Mention; “James Madison” an illustrated talk, Ian Schuetze, Pine River Peppers 4-H Club, Blue Ribbon and Best of Show.
If you are interested in learning more about 4-H or how to getting involved in Lincoln County 4-H, please feel free to contact Debbie or Amanda at the UW-Extension office at (715) 539-1072 or visit our website at http://lincoln.uwex.edu/ or subscribe to the Lincoln County 4-H Blog http://fyi.uwex.edu/lincolncounty4h/ for up to the minute 4-H news. Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development is a program of the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension in partnership with local, state and federal government in each Wisconsin county.