Catawba 4-H’ers are State Presentation Winners - During the summer months Catawba County youth participated in the annual presentation contests, leading to the state presentation contest, which was held at NC State University in Raleigh. Several Catawba County 4-H’ers earned top awards at the state presentation contest in July. Gold presentation winners were: Lily Bean, Uriah Sigmon, Clayton Livingston, and Kaytlin Thompson.
Lily Bean was the 8-10 Year Old Entomology winner. Bean is a member of the Catawba 4-H Equestrians Club and a student at Mt View Elementary School. She was inspired to create a presentation on Bot Flies, based on treating these pests on her horses. Bean was a first-time presenter. Uriah Sigmon was the 11-13 Year Old Electric winner. He is a member of the Electric 4-H Club and created his presentation based on what he is learning with the club. Kaytlin Thompson was the 14-18 Year Old Fisheries and Aquatic Resources winner and did a presentation on growing shrimp. She was inspired to explore the topic based on her love of science and exploring new topics. Clayton Livingston was the 8-10 Year Old Wheels and Engines winner. Livingston was a member of the Small Engine 4-H Club and based his presentation on his interest in engines sparked by the 4-H club. Sigmon, Thompson and Livingston are all home-school students.
Silver Presentation winners were: Samuel Golden, 14-18 Horticulture Sciences; Lupita Ortiz, 14-18 Year Health and Fitness, and Kylee Carpenter, 14-18 Year Old Arts and Communication.
Other Catawba County 4-H’ers who were district presentation winners and participated in the state presentation contest were: Caleb Dean, Mary Doughty, Selah Sigmon, and Josiah Florez
4-H Presentations are a longtime traditional offering in NC 4-H. Presentations are a 5-12 minute planned talk with visuals. There are almost 30 different presentation categories, such as Outdoor Cookery, Livestock Production, Science and Technology and more. Presentations begin in late spring with youth presenting on the county level and then moving onto a district or regional contest. Almost 300 youth ages 8-18 participated in the state presentation contests, after being selected as district winners in their respective regions. The district and state presentation winners received cash awards.
After participating in the state presentation contest, several of the teens remained in Raleigh, where they represented Catawba County at NC 4-H Congress, an annual teen leadership conference. The state presentation contest kicks-off NC 4-H Congress.
After youth join 4-H, they are eligible to participate in a variety of different 4-H activities and contests, such as presentations. For information about joining or starting a 4-H club, contact Donna Mull, Catawba County 4-H Agent, at N.C. Cooperative Extension at 828-465-8240 or donna_mull@ncsu.edu. 4-H is a volunteer-led youth development program for ages 5-18.
