3 Chipman 4-H Club members advance to regional public speaking competition

BY JANA SEMENIUK

The Chipman 4-H Beef and Multi Club held their annual Communications Event Feb. 11 in St. Michael, where 19 children from ages six to 15 showed off their public speaking skills to nearly 50 audience members.

In a competition that is sending three winners to the Regional 4-H competition, the contest was judged by seven local volunteers who used various criteria when arriving at the following winners.

Lorne Barnett, 12, is an intermediate level member of the 4-H club and wrote his speech around his experience showing cattle entitled ‘The Grand Slap’. Barnett described his positive feelings around showing a cow for the first time with the ‘slap’ referring to the judges slap on the rump of the cow.

Hayden Childs, 15, is a senior member of the Chipman 4-H and delivered a speech called A Very Risky Gamble, a review of the Inheritance Games book series by author Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Childs describes the books’ plot with Avery Kiley Grambs, a high school student whose world is turned upside down by an inheritance left for her by her grandfather where she must pass tests and solve puzzles to earn it. Child said a key theme in the series is the importance of family.

Harper Whitrow, is a nine-year-old junior member of the group who shared her excitement, disillusionment, and excitement again through her speech entitled Moving to a Farm. Whitrow described her dreams coming true when her parents told her they were moving to a farm, only to have her world dashed by the reality of living so far away from friends and activities. Once she embraced the special things about living on a farm, Whitow said she was once again happy.

The youngest members of the group, called Cleavers, are ages 6-8 years old. Although they were not eligible for the Regional Competition, 10 of the Cleaver members still chose to take part in the event by writing their own speeches, some with posters for illustration.

Chipman 4-H Multi Club Director Crystal McCullough said the club is very proud of their members.

“We are so proud of all our members that partic- ipated this year. For the cleavers they choose to take part and almost all did,” she said.

“We have such a young club and for them to get up there and try is so amazing.”