Future Leaders Take the Stage, Sweep Speaking Competition

Forsyth County 4-H Cloverleaf DPA participants and teen leaders show off their medals at the end of the Awards Ceremony in Newton County.

Every student representing Forsyth County 4-H earned a top three placement at this year’s public speaking contest. This 100% success rate shows their hard work, practice, and growing confidence as young leaders. Youth spoke on many topics, from marine science to engineering, and shared their passion and knowledge with the audience.

Through Georgia 4-H, youth have the opportunity to begin practicing public speaking early in their academic careers. Youth can begin competing in public speaking contests through the local 4-H program when they are in 4^th grade and can continue competing through their senior year of high school. Contests are broken up into age groups: Cloverleafs (4^th-6^th grade), Juniors (7^th and 8^th grade), and Seniors (9^th-12^th grade).

In Forsyth County, our youngest competitors, Cloverleafs, start with County Project Achievement (CPA). Youth must select a project area of interest, research the topic, write a speech, and present it in front of judges using a poster and prop. From Bicycle to Wildlife, there are over fifty different categories for youth to choose from. Some of the more popular project areas include sports, animals, history, and science.

Group of female 4-H'ers show of their blue ribbon medallions. — Mayra Singh, Saiesha Thukral, Taanvi Potulwar, Harper Haines, and Inha Hwang display their 1^st place medallions.

This year CPA was held at the Midway Park Community Building. Youth who competed at the county level earned the opportunity to compete at the District level on February 7, 2026, in Newton County. Extension staff members, volunteer leaders, and 478 students from across North Georgia attended the contest. The most popular projects were: Sports Team (26), Historic Places & Events (26), Engineering and Mechanics (22), Wildlife (21), Earth & Space Sciences (20), Marine & Coastal Ecology (20), Herpetology (18), and General Recreation (16).

Competitors from Forsyth County included:

• Ayn Fathima Arun, Health, 1st place

• Arnav Bhatnagar, Historic Places and Events, 2nd place

• Harper Haines, Marine and Costal Ecology, 1st place

• Inha Hwang, Ornithology, 1st place

• Aarav Jaiswal, Bicycle, 1st place

• Akshita Lambade, Etiquette and Travel, 1st place

• Anvita Lambade, Agriculture Awareness, 3rd place

• Vihaan Patel, Engineering and Mechanics, 3rd place

• Taanvi Potulwar, Arts, 1st place

• Mayra Singh, Life Science, 1st place

• Riley Stamps, Food Fare, 1st place

• Diya Sunil Gowda, Environmental Science, 1st place

• Saiesha Thukral, Between Meal Snacks, 1st place

• Jal Vaghani, Historic Places and Events, 3rd place

Forsyth County 4-H also earned a plaque for having the highest percentage of winners at the contest.

4-H'er and 4-H Agents show off the Highest Percentage of Winner plaque. — Teen leader Addie Davis and 4-H Agent Heather Haines show off the “Highest Percentage of Winners” plaque that was awarded to Forsyth County 4-H for having 100% of contest participants place in their category.

The Forsyth County Extension / 4-H staff would like to thank a generous group of community donors who help keep Project Achievement affordable for all families in Forsyth County. 4-H has always believed in the boundless potential of young people, and we are lucky to have a charitable group of adults who ensure that everyone has the opportunity to build their public speaking skills.

For more information on local activities and how to get involved in 4-H, contact the Forsyth County Extension Office. In Forsyth County, 4-H is supported by The University of Georgia, Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, Forsyth County Board of Education, and private donors. For more information on the 4-H Program or to register for an upcoming program, please call the Forsyth County Extension Office at 770-887-2418 or send an email to forsythcounty4h @uga.edu.