It's a bit difficult to talk your way into Congress, but that's exactly what took place Sunday by a group of 4-H members who will be going to the Montana 4-H Congress this year.

It was the 4-H Communication Days finals - public speaking presentations - at Plains High School and all five members in the senior platform were awarded scholarships for the Montana 4-H Congress. Kara Christensen of the Hot Springs Wranglers took first place with her prepared speech "Women in Agriculture." South Side Sparks club member Melodie Cook took top honors in the illustrated talk "The Art of Public Speaking."

The five seniors and 11 juniors gathered at the school Sunday afternoon to give their presentations for the finals competition. Karen Dwyer of Thompson Falls, Carla Kinzie and Colette Morgan, both of Plains, judged the juniors, and Sarah Naegeli of Trout Creek, Kate Baxter of Thompson Falls, and Roni Mitch of Plains judged the seniors. Judging took place from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. followed by an awards ceremony.

Seven girls and three boys in the junior class were members of the South Side Sparks and one was a member of the Hot Springs Wranglers. For the seniors, three girls and one boy were from the South Side Sparks. Four girls and two boys at the junior level qualified for a scholarship to 4-H camp at the Darrell E. Fenner 4-H Camp at Loon Lake in Bigfork. The seniors will have the opportunity to compete with their presentations at the state level at Montana 4-H Congress in Bozeman. In second place for the seniors was Claire Wrobleski of the South Side Sparks, who did a presentation "Goats, Be Smart About It." Third went to Mikiah Cook of the South Side Sparks, who had an illustrated talk titled "The Danger Zone." Fourth place went to Cody Hafner of the South Side Sparks with his illustrated talk "How To Survive Calving Season."

Juli Thurston, the Montana State University extension agent in Thompson Falls, said the senior judging was from a half to a point apart and the judges were very impressed with the quality of the presentations. "The judges said they never had one this close," she told the group at the awards ceremony. Christensen was the only senior to have a prepared speech; the rest were illustrated talks. There were four illustrated talks in the junior class, along with five demonstrations, one prepared speech, and one favorite foods presentation.

The juniors that won a scholarship included: John McNamara, Katherine Wrobleski, Moriah Champneys, Ailie Avilla, and Colt Browning, all of the South Side Sparks, and Samantha Hofstetter, of the Hot Springs Wranglers.

McNamara, 11 years old, was the only junior with a prepared speech, which he titled "Opportunity For All." McNamara said he likes public speaking because it helps him socialize better with his friends and family. The only member to have a living being as a prop was Katherine Wrobleski, 13, who utilized her father, Dave, to demonstrate the proper way to apply an ankle wrap.

Hofstetter was the only contestant in the favorite foods category. This was the first year for the 13-year-old Hofstetter to take part in the Communication Days competition and she had a strawberry spinach salad for the judges to eat. She provided nutrients data and explained how she made the salad, which was comprised of spinach, strawberries, feta cheese, and a homemade tangy dressing of eight ingredients.

Ailie Avilla had the largest prop with the use of the school's piano for her spiel "Understanding the Language of Music." Avilla, who has played piano for four years, was able to face the judges even while playing and explaining the use of the keys and pedals. Moriah Champneys brought the largest prop with her for her "Harnessing the Power of the Sun" presentation with two four-foot tall and two-foot wide solar panels from her family's home. Champneys, 11, educated the judges on how a solar panel is made and how it works.

Some of the kids had handouts for the judges and most had some type of prop or visual aid, utilizing PowerPoint or handmade posters. Mikiah Cook grabbed her audience's attention with the Danger Zone heading, which she explained was not a "Top Gun" connection, but a presentation of going outside a person's comfort zone. The presentations ran from just over two minutes to 12 minutes, 15 seconds, which was over the maximum time for juniors and seniors.

The 11-year-old Browning had a variety of plants for his "Propagation Station" to demonstrate how to multiply house plants using the ones they already have in their home. "I wanted to show people they can have more plants and not buy new ones," said Browning, who's been in 4-H for four years.

Judges agreed there were a lot of interesting presentations and that the kids were articulate and knew the material they were speaking about. Dwyer, a 4-H judge for 30 years, said she sees creative demonstrations every year. The junior class judges also noted that the competition was close.

Ed Moreth

Samantha Hofstetter of the Hot Springs Wranglers serves her strawberry spinach salad to judge Colette Morgan while judges Karen Dwyer (left) passes the rolls to judge Carla Kinzie at the 4-H Communication Days Finals at Plains High School.

The juniors for finals included: Emma Rehbein with her "How To Take Care of a Unicorn," Emma Rehbein with "How To Make a Cup of Tea," Anaelle Avilla with "Demystifying Homemade Bagels," Sawyer Doble and his "A Self Resetting Pigeon Trap," and Michaela Champneys with her "Got Milk?" presentation.