Harris and Hennings triumph at speaking contest

Just before the end of the school year, eight students squared off to compete for honors in the annual 4H / Tropicana Speaking Contest.

Excitement was in the air as seven girls and one brave young man vied for ribbons.

This year’s winners were Abby Harris in the fourth and fifth grade division for her animated presentation on “Lung Cancer.” Harris was a fifth grader in Mrs. Humble’s class at the Franklin County School.

“I have two friends who are drowning in smoke,” she told the audience.“We need to warn the world what smoking will do.”

Winner among the sixth-grade competitors was Amber Hennings, one of Mrs. Joanos’ students at the ABC School.

She provided guidance and a few dire warnings to rising fifth-graders in a talk entitled “Elementary moving into Middle School.”

“Enjoy elementary school the best you can,” she told the younger students, but added that middle school teachers “rock.”

The students tackled topics ranging from football, to Apalachicola Bay, to a trip to an Orlando theme park.

The 4H / Tropicana Public Speaking Contest is open to youngsters in grades 4-6. More than 150,000 young people in over 50 Florida counties in grades 4-6 participate annually.

Tropicana provides classroom materials for teachers, certificates of participation, medallions for school winners, trophies for county winners, summer camp scholarships and Tropicana orange juice refreshments for county contests. Nearly 2 million students have participated in this program since its beginning in 1969.

Tropicana speech contest results

Fourth-Fifth grade division

1^st) Abby Harris “Lung Cancer” Franklin County School

2^nd) Melanie Hatfield “Saving the Bay” Franklin County School

3^rd) Eve Bond “Not the best year for the economy” ABC School

4^th) Kate McLemore “Field trip to Orlando” ABC School

Sixth grade division

1^st) Amber Hennings “Elementary moving into middle school” ABC School

2^nd) Brandon Walker “Football” Franklin County School

3^rd) Shea Winters “Life in theme songs” Franklin County School

4^th) Monique Garner “2112: The end of the world” ABC School