FL 4-H Public Speaking- Powered by Florida Power and Light

Previously known as the Tropicana Speech Competition, the FL 4-H Public Speaking Contest is making a comeback after its period of dormancy that occurred during the pandemic. The FL 4-H Public Speaking Program is funded in partnership with the Florida 4-H Foundation and Florida Power & Light Company (FPL). This contest is administered through the 4-H Youth Development Program, Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

This program is designed to engage youth in 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grades in hands-on, learning-by-doing activities that will help them develop and improve their public speaking skills and self-confidence. Public speaking is one of the most important and dreaded forms of communication and affects everyday interactions. Youth will be able to build this valuable skill that will have an enormous impact on their success in life and the workplace. The emphasis of the FL 4-H Public Speaking Program is on the growth of every student as we want to see all young students take pride in the expression of their ideas.

Levy County Contests

This year, over 100 students from Chiefland Elementary, Cedar Key School, and Williston Elementary participated in the contest at the school level. Winners of each grade moved on to participate in the Levy County FL 4-H Public Speaking Contest on November 17^th, 2022. Contestants in the County Contest consisted of Wren Adams, Adriane Bertie, Darbi Davis, Reid Grant, Kataleyah Lablanc, Maybree Whitehurst, and Deja Miranda. Each participant did an amazing job and made the judges’ jobs even more difficult

Kataleyah Leblanc won 1^st Place in the Elementary Division with her speech titled “The Arts”, Maybree Whitehurst won 2^nd Place in the Elementary Division with her speech titled “Middle Child” and Reid Grant won 3^rd Place in the Elementary Division with his speech titled “A Day on the Ranch”. Deja Miranda won 1^st Place in the Middle School Division with her speech titled “Tom Ellis”. Congratulations to all the winners!

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