4-H’ers Attend Senior Conference

By KASEY HALL

Jasper Co. 4-H Agent

Six Jasper County 4-H’ers attended Senior Conference April 5 – 6 at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center near Eatonton.

There were approximately 304 students in attendance at the event from across the state. Those 4-H’ers attending from Jasper County include (left to right) Carson Crotts, Leigha Perkins, Zoey Parks, Shanae McClain, Ryker Harty, and Jayden Wojcik.

The highlight of the weekend was the semi-formal dinner and social gathering on Saturday evening, which has become known as the “4-H Prom.” After the traditional prom walks, voting on the prom king and queen, dinner, and pictures by the lake, the 4-H’ers changed into their casual clothes and enjoyed dancing the night away together and eating pizza.

This year Senior Conference had a future-focused theme of “Chasing Dreams with Georgia 4-H” and included a college and career fair with 18 institutions from all across Georgia.

The event was presented by Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center. Representatives from Piedmont provided three hands-on workshops based on emergency readiness and safety. Students participated in introductory sessions to life-saving measures including CPR, chocking prevention, and “stop the bleed” techniques.

Additionally, the 4-H’ers took part in numerous service activities with a focus on showing kindness within their communities. The Senior 4-H’ers also had the opportunity to display a tri-board they had made on a topic related to their DPA (District Project Achievement) project during the share fair.

Representing Jasper County was Jayden Wojcik who presented his exhibit on the March on Washington in 1963 to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans as part of his project work and research in the history project.

Collegiate 4-H chapters from University of Georgia, Kennesaw State University, and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) provided leadership to the event and led additional sessions focused on choosing a path to higher education and succeeding at the college application process.

If you would like more information on the Jasper County 4-H program for students in the 4th – 12th grades, call 4-H Agent Kasey Hall at 706-468-6479. You may also visit the Jasper County Extension office located in the courthouse annex building.