The thought of public speaking is scary enough to some that it can drive them to great lengths to avoid standing in front of a crowd and addressing everyone at once.
But as an often useful part of adult life, be it in business, politics, or recreational organizations, public speaking is an important skill for youth to develop early on.
The members of the 4-H Moose Mountain Club are going to have a chance to hone those very skills on Sunday, Feb. 13, when the group will gather at the Arcola Alliance Church at 6 p.m. to take part in the annual public speaking contest.
Open to members of the public (and it would be great if you could attend,) the speeches will be delivered by the students in various age groups.
As a mixed-type 4-H group, the Arcola club consists of members from light horse, sewing, scrapbooking, and field crops.
This means the speeches will cover a wide variety of topics, and 15 members are scheduled to take a turn at the podium.
The Clover Buds, as the age six-to-eight group is called, will speak for one-to-two minutes.
The Juniors will present from one-to-three minutes, Intermediate from two-to-four minutes, and the Seniors between four-and-five minutes.
The winners of the event will then go on to compete in the area-level event in Fillmore in late February.
Judging the event will be a number of different people from around the community, including retired teachers, producers, and others, all of whom share the trait of being former 4-H members themselves.
For more information, please feel free to contact Theresa Johnston at 577-7316.
