Feature photo L to R; Bowen Bulow, Alyssa Thomsen, Andon Bulow, Allison Bryn, Reese Anderson

FARGO, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – On Tuesday, June 7, 2022 NDSU Extension – Sargent County hosted the 4-H District Communication Arts Contest for Barnes, Dickey, LaMoure, Ransom, and Sargent counties’ 4-H youth. The event took place at Sargent Central Public School, where 31 youth from the surrounding counties gave public presentations on a topic of their choice.

The 4-H Communication Arts program helps participants develop confidence in making public presentations and helps them develop communication skills they will use throughout their lifetime.

Categories of the presentations include demonstrations, speech, interpretive reading, illustrated talk, drama, and mass media. There were a variety of different forms of presentations, and judges chose the first-place winners in each category.

The first-place winners have the option to continue on to the state contest on July 25, 2022 at the state fair. Senior first-place winners and honorable mentions were also given an invitation and scholarship to the 4-H Extension Youth Conference, a four-day leadership summit run by the North Dakota 4-H Ambassadors.

The participants from Barnes County 4-H were Andon Bulow, Bowen Bulow, Alyssa Thomsen, Allison Bryn, Reese Anderson. All Barnes County 4-Her’s medaled in their respective divisions. Allison Bryn won first place for an impromptu speech, “What does 4-H mean to you?”. Bowen Bulow received a first- place ribbon for his interpretive reading in the Junior division titled Three Billy Goats Gruff. Alyssa Thomsen and Allison Bryn competed as a team in the Senior division of interpretive reading with their speech, Joe’s Pizza Parlour. Reese Anderson won first place for her dramatic reading of Junie B. Jones. Andon and Bowan Bulow won the team drama reciting The Trousers.