At North Carolina Cooperative Extension, 4-H Youth Development strives to equip young people with the knowledge and skills they need to become successful adults. Effective communication and public speaking skills are vital for youth as they develop into tomorrow’s leaders. Currituck County had fifteen 4-H’ers present in the Northeast District Public Speaking Competition which had a total of 109 presenters from the 22 counties and all fifteen qualified for the State Presentations Finals held July 28, 2023, in Raleigh.
The State 4-H Public Speaking Competition had 331 participants from across the State delivering presentations in 35 categories and three age groups. All of the Currituck 4-Her’s delivered excellent presentations and the following youth earned medals for their presentation:
Cayden Lowe & Emerson Page, Gold Medalists, Horse (Team Presentation), 14-18 year olds.
Carsyn Sawyer, Silver Medalist, Hospitality, Etiquette & Social Graces, 14-18 year olds.
Elijah Campbell, Gold Medalist, Digital Reality, 14-18 year olds.
Karleigh Meads, Gold Medalist, Poultry Production 11-13 year olds
Adelaide Martin, Gold Medalist, Environmental Science, 11-13 year olds
Eli Brown, Bronze Medalist, Entomology, 11-13 year olds
Braiden Carothers, Silver Medalist, Safety, 11-13 year olds
As Gold medalists in the senior (14-18) Horse category, Cayden Lowe and Emerson Page earned the opportunity to represent North Carolina 4-H in three National public speaking/presentation competitions: Southern Regional 4-H Horse Championships (August) in Perry, Georgia; the All-American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio (October); and the Eastern National 4-H Horse Roundup in Louisville, Kentucky (November).
Competing against youth from 14 States Cayden and Emerson were the Silver Medalists at the Southern Regional 4-H Horse Championships held August 2-6, 2023 in Perry Georgia. In early October they will travel to the All-American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbia Ohio to compete against youth from across the United States.
Congratulations to all of these outstanding Currituck County 4-H’ers and thanks to all the parents, volunteers, and staff, who helped these young people succeed and achieve. This annual public speaking contest is open to all Currituck County youth. For information on this or any other 4-H program, contact the 4-H & Youth Development Agent, Sherry Fischlschweiger at 252-232-2262.