Jasper 4-H’ers Attend Camp at Rock Eagle
By Kasey Hall
Jasper Co. 4-H Agent
An outstanding delegation of 53 from Jasper County including 45 Cloverleaf 4-H’ers in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades and eight adult leaders attended a week of summer camp recently at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center near Eatonton.
There were just over 785 campers and leaders there from 11 Georgia counties that were divided up into three different groups called flights. Joining Jasper in the Firebird flight were Baldwin and Hall counties, and Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties made up the Skybird flight. Those counties comprising the Thunderbird flight included Emanuel, Appling, Crawford, Butts, Walton, and Morgan.
The three flights participated in a friendly rivalry complete with cheers, challenges, and competitions throughout the week in hopes of ultimately winning the Eagle Shield on Friday morning.
The campers participated in a variety of classes and recreational opportunities. The Red and White Strings who were fourth or fifth grade campers enjoyed their canoeing and archery classes along with a third class (either herpetology, forestry, entomology, or lake ecology).
The experienced Blue String campers in the fifth or sixth grades got to navigate the challenging CAP (Cloverleaf Adventure Program) workshops which included the extremely popular high ropes course and the swing shot along with the herpetology, canoeing, sailing, and archery classes.
All of the 4-H’ers got to go on a nature hike to the mound and climb the observation tower, swim in the two pools, enjoy recreation time and fun games with the counselors, and visit the canteen to get an Icee and popcorn along with some camp souvenirs. A highlight of the week was seeing the traditional Rock Eagle pageant where the counselors recreated the legend of the formation of the historical Rock Eagle mound.
The Jasper County 4-H delegation was especially proud to have two former 4-H’ers – Connor Keesee and Zoey Parks – at Rock Eagle serving as camp counselors for six weeks this summer. They were both waterfront counselors and served as lifeguards and taught the canoeing and sailing classes and swim lessons.
He was in the Firebird flight for his second summer, and she was a first year counselor in the Skybird flight. Connor is a graduate student at Augusta University where he is pursuing his master’s degree in elementary education. Zoey will be attending Mercer University and majoring in nursing.
The Jasper County 4-H’ers who attended include Kaylie Barnes, Lee Barnes, Jaeda Belcher, Mason Bernard, Ransom Braswell, Lexi Brown, Baylee Carter, Grayson Chandler, Max Cranfill, Ayden Davis, Eryn Davis, Jaxon Davis, and Tori Hayles.
Also, Wyatt Holliday, Wyatt Jackson, Jacey Johnson, Carter Kelly, Cason Key, Ella Lamb, Sarah Lamb, Robby Lanier, Reagan Nordstrom, Riley Nordstrom, Wyatt Nordstrom, Madeleine Paguada, Paisley Parham, Izzy Phillips, Mackenzie Phillips, McKenna Price, and Jaxon Scarborough.
Also, Rhett Selman, Sadie Simpson, Jordyn Standifer, Amiya Stanley, Eli Stribling, Aaron Taylor, Kori Thompson, Bella Tippens, Luke Tippens, Madeline White, Gracen Whitten, Kaecen Whitten, Jackson Williams, and Palmer Wilson.
The 4-H’ers were accompanied by a stellar crew of volunteer leaders including Ransom Braswell, Tyler Hayles, Trista Hooten Wilson, Paul Nordstrom, J.T. Painter, Jorden Reed, and Jennifer Stahl; Emma Jean Carter (Green String camper); and 4-H Agent Kasey Hall.
Jasper County 4-H would like to thank those individuals in our community who made donations to our office to go toward providing partial scholarships for several students to attend this amazing week of camp. Your generosity and kindness are very much appreciated!
If you would like to make a donation to help Jasper County 4-H’ers attend camp next summer, please contact our office to see how you can contribute to help make camp a reality for more local families.
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 175,000 people annually through the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices and 4-H facilities.
If you would like more information on 4-H in Jasper County, please call me, 4-H Agent Kasey Hall at 706-468-6479. You may also visit the Jasper County Extension office located in the courthouse annex in Monticello next door to Jordan Engineering at 162 N. Warren Street.
