Aubrey Menard practices her tree identification skills by examining sticks and leaves that have fallen from a cypress tree.

4-H students throughout Iberia Parish have been working on project books to present in a competition to represent the parish at the state level.

Students choose a project area that interests them, such as livestock, cooking, communication or environmental, and work through a project book they received from the 4-H office.

Hannah Byron, 17, who attends Loreauville High School, has chosen communication as her area of study for the past two years.

“I like talking and interacting with other people,” Byron said about her decision to pursue communication projects.

As part of her project book this year, Byron has been attending and teaching workshops about various communication skills. These workshops included skills such as writing speeches, interviewing members of the community and how to be professional in a job interview.

Byron also strengthens her communications skills as a member of the Junior Leader Club for Iberia Parish and by participating on the State Citizenship Board. She said this year the board is focusing on helping foster children.

“We want to build up their confidence and communication skills,” Byron said.

Byron said her favorite activity in the book this year was the workshop she hosted for the younger 4-H members. She taught them how to prepare a presentation and create a visual aid. She said the experience was very rewarding because she was able to see how interested the children were in the topic.

“It was really fun to work with all the people I had an opportunity to work with through the book,” she said.

She said the project book allowed her to find her own direction and how she could improve her communication skills.

Aubrey Menard, 11, attends North Lewis Elementary School. She chose to do two projects this year in both forestry and cooking, which she completed.

“I’m a tree hugger,” Menard said.

Her forestry project consisted of identifying, planting and trimming trees. She said the trees she planted and took care of are in her backyard, but her goal is to plant some at her school and in the park so she can help preserve nature.

“I want to save the live oak trees,” she said.

Menard said the most interesting thing she learned was how many different kinds of oak trees there are in Louisiana. Her favorite part was digging into the earth to plant a seed and watching it grow, Menard said.

She also completed activities in leaf identification for the forestry project book.

For her second project, Menard completed activities about nutrition and healthy living. She learned to read food labels, plan menus and how to feed her family healthy foods.

“There’s so many calories in one burger,” Menard said as she expressed her surprise at the amount of calories in fast food.

Menard said after completing her project book she and her family eat healthier. She said when she goes to the grocery store she makes healthy choices by choosing foods low in calories and sugar. Menard also said that exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.

When comparing the two projects, Menard said she preferred forestry “because it provides fresh air for everyone.”