DPA is coming up, summer 4-H activity information

Kevin Tatum, County Extension Coordinator

Junior/Senior District Project Achievement (DPA) for our Junior (7^th & 8^th grade) and Senior (9^th-12^th grade) 4-H members is coming up on May 31-June 1. We have a great group of 4-H’ers competing. They will be competing against 4-H members from the 39 counties in southeast Georgia. We will travel to Rock Eagle on Monday, May 31, and return on Tuesday, June 1.

Twenty-five students completed portfolios this year and will be competing in the presentation portion of the contest. This portfolio accounts for 40-50% of their total DPA score. They will also have to present a 10-12 minute presentation on their project which will account for the balance of their score.

This year’s Junior 4-H participants include: Devin Bohannon, Dairy Foods; Kayden Davis, Better Breakfast; May Belle Davis, Dog Care and Training; Jake Grantham, Swine; Brianna Moreno, Performing Arts, Dance; Florence Shealy, History; and Caroline Spivey, Communications. The Senior 4-H participants include: Ashton Ates, Food for Fitness; Sophie Bird, Performing Arts - Dance; Jeremiah Brantley, Performing Arts-Drama; Nathan Cooper, Dairy Foods; Amelia Crockett, Public Speaking; Kilee Davis, Dairy Foods; Terryanna Harris, Photography and Videography; Hayden McDonald, Sports; Muskan Minhas, Health; Glenn O'Steen, Engineering & Mechanics; Alexandra Rivero, Performing Arts - Drama; Destiny Russ, Food Fare; Ishika Sadarangani, Food for Health and Sport; Austin Strickland, Performing Arts - Other Instrumental; Justin Strickland, Computer Information Technology; Janilla Warren, Food Fare; Sariah Wells, Performing Arts - Dance; and Carlee Woods, Festive Foods for Health.

We wish you all of participants the best of luck!

SUMMER 4-H ADVENTURES

We will also have our 4-H summer camp for Cloverleaf 4-H members (grades 4-6) at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center the week of June 7-10. Because of COVID, we will have a modified schedule at camp. However, our 4-H members will get a great experience doing most of our usual activities at camp such as canoeing, swimming, and more.

We also have some Junior 4-H members (grades 7-8) who will be going to camp at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center the week of July 12-15. They will have a similar schedule to the Cloverleaf 4-H’ers with a slight modification.

We have a few summer day activities planned in June for our Cloverleaf 4-H’ers as well. They include a couple of days at Wild Adventures, a trip to the Macon Bacon baseball game, and a trip to Savannah to visit the Ronald McDonald House and take a dolphin cruise around Tybee Island.

We are looking forward to getting COVID behind us and to experiencing some activities with the youth again.

DAIRY POSTER CONTEST

The theme for the 2021 June Dairy Month 4-H Poster Contest is “Dairy Potter: Real Dairy, Real Delicious.” 4-H members are encouraged to create a poster and submit it by the May 14 deadline. The artwork should be an original idea of the 4-H member and hand-drawn on a 14” x 22” piece of white poster board.  Prizes of gift cards are given for each age division. The age divisions are Cloverleaf (4^th-6^th graders), Junior (7^th & 8^th graders), and Senior (9^th – 12^th graders). Posters will be scored on: originality (40%), follows theme (20%), conveys message (15%), general appearance (15%), and accurate information (10%). Gift cards are $100 for 1^st place, $75 for 2^nd place, and $50 for 3^rd place. Entries are due at the Coffee County Extension office by 4 PM on Friday, May 14.

DEAN’S AWARD PORTFOLIOS

The Dean’s Award marks the culmination of a 4-H’er’s career, recognizing youth who have participated and excelled in a broad spectrum of activities and experiences over an extended period of time. A Dean’s Award will be presented in each of the following six areas: Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Civic Engagement; William “Bill” Edwards 4-H Dean’s Award for Communications and the Arts; Family and Consumer Sciences; James Harris 4-H Dean’s Award for Leadership; and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).

A cumulative 4-H portfolio must be compiled and submitted to the Extension office by Friday, May 21. Five finalists in each project area will be announced on Friday, June 11. Finalists will have a virtual interview on Friday, June 25. Dean’s Award winners will be recognized at the Annual Winners Banquet at State 4-H Congress in Atlanta in late July.

If you would like to learn how you can become more involved with the Coffee County 4-H program, please contact the Coffee County Extension office at (912) 384-1402 or visit our website at http://coffee4h.org.