NORWICH - 4-H Public Presentations will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, February 28th, in the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) building, located at 99 North Broad Street in Norwich. All 4‑ H youth are welcome and encouraged to participate. 

There is no fee to take part in the event. Youth interested must register by February 21st. Registration is available at ( pub.cce.cornell.edu/event_registration/main/events_landing.cfm?event=Public-Presentation-Sign-Up_208 )

"Each youth will be assigned a 15-minute time slot for their presentation," said 4-H Youth Development Educator Micaela Meseck. "All 4-H youth, ages five through 18, as of January 18, are welcome to enroll."

Meseck said youth select a topic that interests them and can choose from several presentation styles including Demonstration, Illustrated Talk, Recitation, Dramatic Interpretation, Speech, Impromptu, and Interview.

She said there will also be a separate division for Horse Presentations, which includes Individual Demonstration and Illustrated Talk, Public Speaking, and Team Presentations. 

"Presentations will be evaluated on delivery, subject, and preparation," said Meseck. "Horse Presentations are additionally timed, so practicing beforehand is important."

She said Cloverbuds, ages five through seven will present for experience only and will not be judged or scored but will receive encouraging feedback.

"Juniors, ages eight through 13 and seniors, ages 14 through 18 will be judged using a point-based system and awards will be given on final scores," Meseck added.

Based on their final scores, Meseck said youth may earn gold, silver, or bronze recognition and the highest‑ scoring presenters will qualify to advance to the District Level Competition.

"Public speaking is a lifelong skill," Meseck said. "Participating in Public Presentations helps youth build confidence, strengthens communication skills, and provides valuable experience speaking in front of others; skills that will benefit them in school, future careers, and everyday life."

"Parents and other youth are welcome to observe," she continued. "We encourage youth to support their peers and learn from watching others present."

Meseck noted 27 youth participated in last year's event.

CCE team leaders and judges will be Rhonda Turrell, Whitney Kmetz, and Nicole Starkweather with Meseck's assistance.

Fruit will be available throughout the event, and pizza will be served during the awards announcements.

For more information, visit the CCE website at  cce.cornell.edu/chenango  or the 4-H Facebook page at Chenango County 4-H Youth Development.