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4-Hers shine at Project Achievement
0328 4H Project Achievement 2
Effingham County students who participated in the 4-H Southeast District Project Achievement competition included, left to right, back row: Chance Denney, Gabe Palmberg, Marci Delcampo, Bri Tredway, Sophie Usher, Alex Parrish, Hannah Weitman and Sara Hampton; front row: Bailee Wilson, Abby Henry, Becca Velasquez and Lexie Wells. - photo by Photo provided

Fifteen Effingham County 4-H members competed at the Southeast District Project Achievement competition at Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, including two who earned first-place finishes to advance to the state competition.

Project Achievement is a cornerstone in the Georgia 4-H program that teaches young people self-confidence along with public speaking, record-keeping, interview and social skills. As a partner in public education, Georgia 4-H Project Achievement serves as a forum to showcase a 4-H’ers hard work and success.

To compete, 4-H members pick a project area of interest to them, then keep a yearly record of project work and prepare a 10-12-minute presentation. The host site for the DPA competition, Rock Eagle, is the largest 4-H center in the world.

“Not only do participants have the opportunity to present their demonstrations, they also can run for a leadership position as a Southeast District board member, participate in service projects, meet friends from all over the Southeast District and have tons of fun,” said 4-H agent Abby Smith of the Effingham County Extension office.

This year, 15 Effingham County students participated in several project areas within the competition. The senior level (grades 9-12) participants were: Natalie Starling, Alex Parrish, Marci Delcampo, Logan McDonald, Lexie Wells, Hannah Weitman, Sara Hampton and Sophie Usher. The junior level (grades 7-8) participants were: Chance Denney, Abby Henry, Noah McDonald, Gabe Palmberg, Bailee Wilson, Bri Tredway and Becca Velasquez.

Two Effingham students earned a trip to the state competition, as Usher took first place in the companion animals project area and Starling finished first in the performing arts/general project area. They will compete at the State 4-H Congress in Atlanta at the Crowne Plaza Ravina in July.

“These two ladies have dedicated many hours of hard work into their projects and are well-deserving of this honor to compete at the state level,” Smith said.

DPA is a valuable tool for fulfilling the Georgia 4-H mission of “assisting youth in acquiring knowledge, developing life skills and forming attitudes that will enable them to become self-directing, productive and contributing citizens,” Smith said.

For more information about Effingham County 4-H programs, call 754-8040.