In the years leading up to the current; Clark County schools had never taken NTI or Non-traditional instruction days.  These are days that the school system has on reserve (usually up to 10) for the purposes of fulfilling missed school days without having to tack on extra days at the end of the school year.  NTI days are completed by students when they complete the teacher assigned packet of homework for the day.  As events and uncertainty with the Coronavirus (COVID 19) began to unfold and schools started closing, Clark County board of education quickly filled out the paperwork for NTI days.   No announcement was made in Clark County regarding the cancelation of school until that paperwork was approved in Frankfort.  This happened on Friday, March 13^th – when the announcement came out that Clark County schools would close with NTI days for the next 2 weeks and follow with spring break.  Since teachers had not prepared NTI packets prior to the start of school, they were frantically required to put them together in just a few short days.  Within the 2 week initial closure of school, included the time frame that 4-H speeches were scheduled to happen in Baker Intermediate with the entire 5^th grade class.  This was to involve 18 classrooms and nearly 475 5^th graders.   Because 5^th grade does not test in Science, the speeches were being prepared and were to be delivered in their science class.  The NTI packets came to parents and students as a chart that outlined each day, subject, and material to be completed.  For the entire 10 day period; under each science block – the assignment listed was “4-H Speech Outline”.  Although, completion of the speeches in a classroom contest are uncertain amidst the COVID 19 closures, teachers used the 4-H speech packet as their reference for students in writing their 4-H Speech that was still graded and used during this difficult time.  The positive relationship that 4-H has with the school system and the preparedness that 4-H speeches offers teachers alleviated one burden that teachers faced during the onset of school closures.  

Teachers requested students to send a video of their speech to them for judging.  Teachers then forwarded the winners from their classrooms to 4-H Agent Shannon Farrell who reached out about the county contest.  10 youth advanced from their NTI classroom work to our county contest (virtual).  Of the 14 youth that advanced from our county contest to the area communications contest, 6 were winners that came from the virtual platform that took over when COVID-19 took over in the middle of our classroom and club competitions.  Of those 6 that competed in area, 2 were area winners that advanced to the state communications contest.