Ten Liberty County junior and senior 4-H members competed at Southeast District Project Achievement Feb. 9-11, bringing home several top-place awards.
Youth from 39 counties in the district gather for this annual competition as part of the Georgia 4-H core programming and choose from more than 50 project areas, from food and nutrition to recreation and leisure activities.
To compete, students compile a portfolio of their work, leadership experiences, community service projects and 4-H activities of the previous year. During the competition, students present a 10- to 12-minute demonstration about a topic they choose.
Junior participants (grades 7-8) were:
Melvin Kimble — First place in Food for Fitness
Makayla Nash — Third place in International
Senior participants (grades 9-12) were:
Jonathan Adams — First in Physical, Biological and Earth Sciences
Monice Battle — First in Housing, Equipment and Environment
Jared Johnson — Third in Food for Fitness
Kelly Lachowsky — First in Entomology
Sophia Rodriguez —Second in Health
Jordan Spires — Third in International
Cynthia Steele — Honorable mention in Workforce Preparation and Career Development
Jonathan Woolf — Honorable mention in Dog Care and Training
Because Adams, Battle and Lachowsky placed first with their projects, they will represent the county at State Congress, the premiere statewide competition in July.
Rodriguez, who is considered a sweepstakes winner, will also be able to compete at state.
There, students will compete against other district winners to be master 4-H’ers.
Districtwide elections were held for the Southeast District Junior and Senior Board of Directors, which requires candidates to complete an application outlining their qualifications, present a speech to their peers and campaign throughout the weekend.
Adams was elected to be one of eight senior (grades 9-12) 4-H members on the 2018-19 Southeast District Senior Board of Directors.
County Extension Agent Kasey Bozeman, 4-H program assistant Gypsy Tart and 4-H volunteer Addison James chaperoned the trip.
"Project Achievement is one of my favorite 4-H contests," said Bozeman. "Young people develop so many critical life skills, such as keeping records, researching credible information and presentation skills. It is so rewarding to see these youth excel in their respective project areas. We are excited to support these 4-H’ers as they advance to the state level of competition."
To learn more about the 4-H programming in Liberty County, contact the Liberty County Extension Office at 876-2133 or uge3179@uga.edu.