By Danny Federico Riverbend News
Elementary school students in Hamilton, Suwannee and Lafayette Counties participated in the annual school-wide 4-H Tropicana Speech Competitions earlier this month. Schools included Lafayette Elementary School (LES) in Mayo, Suwannee Pineview Elementary School (SPES) in Live Oak and Hamilton County Elementary School (HCES) in Jasper.
On its website, the UF/IFAS Extension states the 4-H Tropicana Public Speaking Program "helps more the 150,000 children in grades four through six learn how to write and deliver a speech, providing them the skills to communicate with clarity and comfort and to think quickly and nimbly."
The program, which is "sponsored by Tropicana and administered through the 4-H Youth Development Program, Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Florida," allows each student to work on a speech of their own choice, with the guidance of their teacher. Each speech is required to last a minimum of two minutes, but no longer than three and must be made without visual aids.
"The emphasis of the program is on the growth of every student participant," the website states. "It is important for all young students to have an opportunity to take pride in the expression of their ideas."
Winners are selected based upon the number of points accumulated during their speech for composition and presentation. Individual class competition winners are awarded ribbons and school-wide competition winners are awarded medallions. First place speakers from the school-wide event will have the opportunity to present their speeches at a final county competition.
Students at HCES participated in their school-wide competition on Thursday, March 4. HCES fourth grade speech winners were: Noah Smith, third place; Novalie Sumner, second place and London Johnson, first place. Fifth grade winners were: Jack Davenport, third place; Willie Rodriguez, second place and Christian Tomas-Tomas, first place. Sixth grade winners were Le'Asia McCloud, third place; Felicity Perez, second place and Pharrah Bradley, first place.
Students at SPES participated in their school-wide competition on Friday, March 5. SPES fourth grade speech winners were: Collin Braden, third place; Cayden Wilkens, second place and Brailey Humphrey, first place. Fifth grade winners were: Blake Vargas, third place; Carson Mathews, second place and Kimberly Tanner, first place.
Lafayette County School District winners were: Kellan Clark, third place; Cathryn Jones, second place and Sadie Hamlin, first place.