VERO BEACH – Lauren Kenney does it again! Lauren won first place in the Association of Florida Conservation District’s (AFCD) Area IV Public Speaking Contest.
The Area IV contest was held on April 20 at the University of Florida Indian River Research & Education Center in Fort Pierce and was hosted by the St. Lucie Soil and Water Conservation District.
The topic for this year’s contest was “What is the economic impact of Florida Forests?”
Lauren was a seventh grader at St. Helen’s Catholic School in Vero Beach. Her speech focused on the vast economic benefits that Floridians receive from forests and covered several important topics including conservation, hunting, erosion control, and tourism.
Before prevailing at the Area IV contest, Lauren won first place in the sixth to ninth grade category in the local Indian River Soil and Water Conservation District’s public speaking contest and was selected by the panel of judges to represent Indian River County and compete at the Area level.
Her delivery and stage presence has been virtually flawless in each competition and her ability to integrate relevant personal opinions along with facts and statistics, has captured the attention of every person in the audience.
Lauren is now eligible to compete at the State level of competition. The state competition will be held during the Annual AFCD Conference in Ocala on Aug. 13.
The Indian River SWCD is proud to offer the opportunity for students to develop their speaking skills and self-confidence and encourages participation from all schools in the county as well as those students who are home schooled.
