MoCo 4-H’ers Compete at Cloverleaf DPA
By Lauren Stanley, Montgomery Co. Agriculture & Natural Resources/4-H Youth Development Agent
Over 150 4-H’ers from 9 Southeast District counties traveled to Lyons on Saturday, December 7, to compete in Cloverleaf District Project Achievement (DPA) competition. A total of 35 Montgomery County 4-H members, 6 adult leaders, and 1 teen leader attended the DPA event, where students prepared a presentation and speech on a topic/category of their choice, and were judged on their presentation skills and style.
Montgomery County 4-H’ers excelled in Saturday’s competition, bringing home fourteen 1st place and eleven 2nd place awards. Five 4-H’ers were awarded 3rd place honors, with 3 members taking 4th place and 2 students receiving honorable mention in their project areas. In addition, Abigail Elam won a $50 4-H summer camp scholarship. Montgomery County also received two 1st place county awards- one for the highest percentage of DPA participants based on county size, and another for bringing the most participants to the competition.
Montgomery County 4-H/ANR Agent Lauren Stanley, 4-H Program Assistant Julie Waller, adult volunteers Joyce Allen, Whitney Connell, and Debbie Thigpen, and teen leader Hartley Williamson accompanied Montgomery County 4-H members, served as judges, and volunteered during the event.
“DPA is always one of my favorite 4-H events because it helps students to cultivate speaking skills and grow confidence in themselves – two skills which they will use throughout life. It’s great to see students improve from year to year and to watch newcomers overcome first-DPA nerves,” Waller emphasized. “We are so proud of these kids and grateful to our volunteers – we wouldn’t be able to do all that we do without them!”
Stanley added, “We are extremely proud of our 4-H’ers, especially after DPA was delayed and we weren’t sure how our programs would continue in the aftermath. These students showed such resilience during that time, and were committed and ready to hit the ground running when we resumed in-school programs. Their dedication and hard work paid off today, and we couldn’t have done it without the help of our amazing volunteers and teen leader.” Students competing in Cloverleaf DPA hosted by Toombs County were Caylee Adams, Reagan Brock, Aniya Carswell, Clara Cheek, Jace Dixon, Abigail Elam, Jennifer Garcia, Macy Glisson, Treasure Green, Claire Hutcheson, Jaxton Kellam, Aariah Lawson, Addy McCoy, Zelina Mendez, Fatima Momin, Isaac Nichols, Michael Nobles, Maggie Palmer, Savannah Lee Powell, Diego Ramirez, Jonathan Ramirez, Avan Rodriguez, Julian Sanchez, Leticia Serrano, Gracie Sikes, Macee Sikes, Ky'Lin Snead, Sarah Stanley, Paisley Toler, Kennadi Troupe, Carleigh Ward, Scarlett White, Clayton Williams, Kace Williamson, and Blakely Woods.
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 University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices and 4-H facilities. For more information about Georgia 4-H, contact your local UGA Extension office or visit georgia4h.org.
