Coweta County 4-H’ers recognized at State Congress in Atlanta
Pictured above (front row, left to right): Gillian Ramponi, Madison Dyar; (middle row, l-r) Natalie Zern, Parker Arrington; (back row, l-r) Colton Swartz, Aaron Boyd
By BILL HAMMOND, Coweta County 4-H Agent
Coweta County 4-H’ers received top honors at the 79th annual Georgia 4-H State Congress event held in Atlanta from July 19-22. State Congress includes the state-level Project Achievement competition, Leadership in Action contest, Master 4-H awards, as well as recognition of youth development professionals, supporters, and public officials for their contributions to the success of the Georgia 4-H program.
More than 48,000 youth participated in Project Achievement this year through 4-H programs at the county level. This essential Georgia 4-H program element empowers young people with leadership, creativity, public speaking, and record keeping skills that will last a lifetime. At the high school level, students choose a project of interest from a list of areas that include agriculture, human development, performing arts, communication, engineering, and workforce preparation. They subsequently research the topic, create a detailed presentation, and participate in related community service and civic engagement activities. State Congress competition also includes individual interviews with qualified professionals who engage with 4-H’ers about their project work.
Three Coweta County project achievement district winners competed at State Congress this year, including Parker Arrington who placed 2nd in the Dog Care and Training project area, Madison Dyar who placed 3rd in the Veterinary Science project area, and Natalie Zern who competed in the Sports project area.
Students who place first at state-level competitions in Georgia 4-H earn the title of “Master 4-H’er”, and Coweta County was proud to recognize several new Master 4-H’ers. The 4-H Land Judging team won first place at the State Land Judging Competition and earned a spot to represent Georgia at the National Land Judging Competition in Oklahoma. Team members earning Master titles are Parker Arrington, Aaron Boyd, Madison Dyar, and Gillian Ramponi. Parker earned an additional Master title for Highest Individual Score at the state competition. Target sports is extremely competitive, and Aaron Boyd earned Master status for highest individual score at the State 4-H BB Competition. Colton Swartz placed 1st in the Dairy Showmanship competition at the State Livestock Show and earned the title of Master Dairy Showman.
Georgia 4-H empowers youth to become true leaders by developing necessary life skills, positive relationships, and community awareness. As the largest youth leadership organization in the state, 4-H reaches more than 225,000 people annually through UGA Extension offices and 4-H facilities.
For more information about 4-H programs and activities, contact the Coweta County Extension Office at 770-254-2620 or visit www.ugaextension.org/Coweta.
