The Wakulla County 4-H Program held their annual county level Tropicana Public Speaking Competition on Thursday, April 26 at the Wakulla County Extension Office in Crawfordville, Florida.  Nine students participated in the public speaking contest, which is sponsored each year by Tropicana Products, Inc.  Four of the second place winners also presented their speeches, although not as competitors.  Wakulla County 4-H Agent Sherri Kraeft and several volunteers worked together to organize this years' event.

The competition was broken down into two divisions based on grade level.  The first place 4th/5th grade combined winners from C.O.A.S.T. Charter, Medart Elementary, Riversink Elementary, Shadeville Elementary, and Wakulla Christian schools competed for the title of county level winner for their age group, and the first place 6th grade winners from C.O.A.S.T. Charter, Riversprings Middle, Wakulla Christian and Wakulla Middle schools competed separately for the county level title in their age division.

The 4th/5th grade combined contestants were Sarah Smith from C.O.A.S.T. Charter School with "Daylight Savings Time"; Jason Westmark from Medart Elementary School with "Conquering Fears"; Austin Franklin from Riversink Elementary School with "Zombie Abuse"; Mason McCord from Shadeville Elementary School with "Chickens";  and Zoe Doler from Wakulla Christian School with "Gelatin".  C.O.A.S.T. Charter School second place winner Madison Fountain delivered her speech entitled "Childhood Cancer" and second place winner Bethany Thomas from Wakulla Christian School presented her speech entitled "On My Farm" as non-competitors.

The 6th grade contestants were Bryanah Kilpatrick from C.O.A.S.T. Charter School with "Animal Cruelty"; Madisen Rudd from Riversprings Middle School with "Idioms"; Mia Frick from Wakulla Christian School with "Art"; and Gage Fenner from Wakulla Middle School with "Torture:  Codename Wrestling".  Wakulla Christian School second place winner Brianne Camp gave her speech entitled "Strawberries" and second place winner Jillian Richardson from Wakulla Middle School presented her speech entitled "My Sister Danna" as non-competitors.

The county level 4th/5th grade combined winners were:  First Place - Jason Westmark; Second Place - Austin Franklin; Third Place - Mason McCord, and Honorable Mention - Sarah Smith.

The county level 6th grade winners were:  First Place - Gage Fenner; Second Place - Madisen Rudd; Third Place - Mia Frick; and Honorable Mention - Bryanah Kilpatrick.

Dustin Grubbs, Jason Westmark, Austin Franklin, Mason McCord, Sarah Smith, Scott Joyner, Dr. Jacquelyn McMillan, and Sherri Kraeft.		Sherri Kraeft, Dustin Grubbs, Gage Fenner, Madisen Rudd, Mia Frick, Bryanah Kilpatrick, Dr. Jacquelyn McMillan, and Scott Joyner

Each winner received a plaque, and all participants received certificates.  The first place winner from each age division won a $215 scholarship from the Tropicana Foundation to be applied towards any 4-H camp offered this coming summer.

Each first place county level winner for 4th/5th combined and 6th grade will now move forward to the District Level Competition in Tallahassee on Thursday, May 10 at 6pm.   The competition will be held at the Leon County Extension Office at 615 Paul Russell Road.  Contestants and their families are asked to arrive at 5:30pm and bring the District Competition Questionnaire with them.  There are six counties that will compete at the District Level Competition, and one winner will be chosen from each age division.  Prizes awarded at the District Level Competition will include gift certificates and recognition medals.

The Wakulla County 4-H program would like to thank the event judges, Dustin Grubbs of Centennial Bank, Dr. Jacquelyn McMillan of Capital City Youth Services, and Scott Joyner, Director of the Wakulla County Public Library for their time and participation.

Tropicana and IFAS/University of Florida 4-H sponsors the Tropicana Public Speaking Competition to help thousands of young people annually learn how to write and deliver a speech.  More than 150,000 young people in over 50 Florida counties in grades 4-6 participate in the contest on an annual basis.  The event is a great way for children to build self-esteem, gain valuable communication skills, and learn how to write and present a public speech.

The 4-H/Tropicana Public Speaking Program meets Sunshine State Standards in Language Arts and Florida's System of School Improvement and Accountability, Goal 3, and also assists teachers in helping their students achieve required benchmarks that are assessed by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) and Florida Writes Test.

Tropicana has sponsored the contest since 1969 and provides classroom materials for teachers, certificates of participation, medallions for school winners, trophies for county winners, summer camp scholarships and Tropicana orange juice refreshments for county contests.  Close to 2 million students have participated in this program since its beginning.

For more information about any programs offered by the Wakulla County 4-H program, please contact Sherri Kraeft, 4-H Agent, at sjkraeft@ufl.edu or 850-926-3931.  Learn more about the Wakulla County Extension office at wakulla.ifas.ufl.edu.

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