By Matt de Simone
Botetourt County 4-H Presentation Night is an annual event where 4-H members present on topics of their choice, honing their public speaking skills and sharing their interests with an audience, while also receiving constructive feedback from volunteer judges. This year’s event takes place this Friday, April 11 at Central Academy Middle School beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Botetourt 4-H Extension Agent Tyler Painter recently shared that 110 Botetourt County fourth and fifth graders were invited to participate in this year’s Presentation Night that include 30 “dramatic readers” and 80 “how-to” presenters. Painter currently meets with all Botetourt County Public Schools fourth and fifth graders in each elementary school throughout the school year.
Leaders work with 4-H members to prepare them for presentations, covering topics like presence, format, and enthusiasm. 4-H Presentation Night helps young people develop their communication skills, build confidence, and gain valuable experience in public speaking. Fourth and fifth grade teachers work with students as well during the preparation process. Teachers approve the students’ book title or topic before beginning to prepare for the contest.
“The support from the administration of Botetourt County Schools to allow me to go in and do this type of stuff is awesome,” Painter noted in a recent interview. “(Presentation Night) corresponds with SOL requirements too because (students eventually) have to do verbal presentations and things like that.”
Dramatic Reading involves youth practicing public speaking skills by reading a passage aloud with expression, focusing on aspects like pitch, volume, and tone, to enhance their communication abilities.
A 4-H “how to” presentation, also known as a demonstration or illustrated talk, is a structured presentation where a 4-H member demonstrates a skill or process, or explains a topic, using visuals and clear communication to teach an audience. Additionally, members from the Horse and Pony Club will be presenting informative presentations that they prepared for their club.
“We have our dramatic reading which is just fourth graders,” Painter explained. “The how-to presentations are just fifth graders, and then we have, you could call them, community projects featuring two members of our Horse and Pony Club. New this year, anybody that does well at the county presentation contest (Friday night)—like if they win their category or they’re the grand champion—will be invited to an area contest on Saturday, May 3, in Floyd County where they will get to present against 4-H members from other counties.”
Students demonstrating their “how-to” presentations are encouraged to choose topics that they are passionate about, whether related to their 4-H projects or other areas of interest. Volunteer judges then assess presentations based on factors like content, organization, delivery, and use of visuals.
“I love this contest,” Painter continued. “I think it’s a great way to not only showcase students’ abilities but also showcasing what they know. We get some very off-the-wall topics/readings.”
Preparation for Presentation Night begins in January with all fourth and fifth graders having the chance to either giving a reading or present a how-to demonstration. As a part of his lesson, Painter gives the students example topics like “how to tie a necktie” and giving a dramatic reading of a book excerpt. He then shows the students differences in presenting a topic poorly and presenting a topic properly. Students then ask questions following the lesson to better help them put together their respective presentations. Painter encourages the students to use the “old-school” method of using visual aids like posterboards when giving their how-to demonstrations.
Painter shared how proud he is of the fourth and fifth graders who have worked hard on their presentations for this year’s contest.
