Alyssa Ridenour
reporter@greenepublishing.com
On Thursday, Dec. 3, at 9 a.m., the county-wide annual 4-H Public Speaking Contest, formerly known as the Tropicana Public Speaking Contest, was held in the cafeteria of Lee Elementary School (LES). Kids from schools across Madison County made an appearance to exhibit their talent in speaking and writing. Beth Moore served as the Master of Ceremonies, giving each kid an introduction and welcoming them to take the stage.
Overall, the competition went spectacularly, with many kids placing and three claiming ultimate victory in first place. The judges in attendance were Antonio Richardson of Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Property Appraiser of Madison County Lee Barfield and Sheriff-Elect David Harper. The time keeper at the competition was Susan Phillips, curriculum coordinator at LES.
Honorable mentions included Samiya Wingate, of the fifth grade at Greenville Elementary School (GES), Evelyn Boan, of the fifth grade at Pinetta Elementary School (PES), Reagan Webb, of the fourth grade at Madison Creative Arts Academy (MCAA) and Rhikayla Wyche, of the fourth grade at Madison County Central School (MCCS). There were only two third place winners: Megan Bass, of the fifth grade at MCAA and Rubee Wheeler, of the fourth grade at PES. Coming in second place were Hashem Ayyad, of the fourth grade at GES, Kayli Replogle, of the fifth grade at MCCS and Quinlan Lowe, of the sixth grade at MCCS. Last but not least, the first place winners were Layla Peavey, of the sixth grade at MCAA, Gracelyn Phillips, of the fourth grade at LES and Avery Brown, of the fifth grade at LES.
Peavey, Phillips and Brown will be granted a scholarship to Camp Cherry Lake for the upcoming summer camp. In addition, they have been grandfathered into the 4-H District Event, where they will have the opportunity to compete in a district-wide public speaking contest. The 4-H District Event will also consist of photography and 4-H demonstrations.
Congratulations to all of the winners of the annual 4-H Public Speaking Contest!