Local 4-H’ers prepare for Aug. 10 virtual storytelling showcase

HARLEM VALLEY — Seven weeks of youthful creativity in Ulster, Dutchess, Columbia and Greene Counties will be come to fruition on Monday, Aug. 10, at 7 p.m. on a 4-H Zoom “Final Showcase Webinar.” 

The evening will be a culmination of virtual work by 13 students ages 9 through 13, all of which was planned and supervised by three student interns from Cornell University working remotely from their homes in New York City, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. 

According to 4-H Team Leader for Columbia and Greene Counties Linda Tripp, the virtual program focuses on stories about what life was like in rural counties as the participants “learned about techniques of storytelling and methods for engaging with their communities.”

For the Zoom showcase, the presenters choose different methods of sharing their stories. 

“There will be some that will be providing presentations, some written stories and some through video,” Tripp said. “Besides learning how to be a storyteller, they are also learning how to use one of those types of presentations to be able to share their stories.”

Participant Hunter Gardner, 18, the son of Sandra and James Gardner of Hillsdale and recipient of a 2019 Outstanding 4-H Member Award, said his PowerPoint presentation will feature a description of this first cattle showing at the age of 12 at the Niagara Fair in western New York, when he won the showmanship class for beginners by presenting his calf Sapphire. 

Hunter said the summer program “was pretty great,” especially when there wasn’t a whole lot to do during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I learned a lot about how to tell a better story and how to keep an audience engaged. You have to start off your speech or your presentation strong with a great hook, so maybe a quote or asking a rhetorical question [is helpful] because I think the first sentence or two is what gets people sort of dragged into your presentation.” 

Sixteen year old Julianna Sundberg, daughter of Danielle and Chuck Sundberg of Stanfordville, has created a video of the Stringendo Orchestra School’s some 200 students from  the Hudson Valley. A violinist, Julianna first joined at age of 7 and said she “just loves it.” The video traces the history of the organization, which practices in Wappingers Falls at the Hackensack Reformed Church and performs at schools throughout the area. 

Julianna also had praise for the Cornell college interns, who she said were “super nice” and the 4-H program, which she described as “super helpful.

“Everything they taught was easy to learn, but it was also something I can use in everyday life and when I’m presenting things,” she said. “It was amazing.” 

To register for the “Final Showcase Webinar,” go to www.cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYudeqtpj0uG9btSQhi6lepaku4GyBEY5gq.