COVINGTON – This summer, 57 students from the Effingham County High School, South Effingham High School, Ebenezer Middle School and Effingham County Middle School FFA Chapters attended Summer Leadership Camp (SLC) at the Georgia FFA-FCCLA Center in Covington, on the banks of Lake Jackson.
Each summer, the Georgia FFA-FCCLA Center hosts six weeks of Summer Leadership Camp for high school and middle school students involved in chapters of Georgia’s FFA and FCCLA youth leadership programs. Teachers bring their students to the week-long camp, where they participate in leadership programming designed to build relationships, develop teamwork and leadership attributes, and most importantly, have a great time! Activities include team and individual competitions, dances, the mega slide, the blob, swimming, ropes course, shooting sports, crafts, horseback riding, a muddy obstacle course, and more!
This year’s theme for Summer Leadership Camp was “SLC Unlimited”. Led by the idea that ‘you don’t get to decide how your story begins, but you do get to decide how it ends’, students were challenged to discover their unlimited future. This theme guided the programming for the week, including skits, challenges, and nightly reflections.
Over the course of the six weeks of Summer Leadership Camp, the Georgia FFA-FCCLA Center hosted more than 3,300 students, advisors, and guests. Driven by the purpose of investing in the lives of every camper that comes through the gate, the summer was full of fun, new experiences, and life-changing growth.
The students from Effingham County attending camp included: ECHS students Alyssa Almerigotti, April Williams, Austin Beard, Avery Tucker, Colby Beard, Emily Roberts, Erik Robinson, Evan Lastinger, Francesca Stasolla, Jaylin Coleman, Josephy Lay, Julia French, Alexis Jacques, Katie Duncan, Kaylei Howe, Madison Smith, Mathew Holton, Megan Deyhle, Katlyn Davis, Phillip Babin, Rebecca Shea, Trevin Moore, Zachary Harvey, Jessica Wall, Hunter Holloway, Dillon Pippin, Samone Heyward, Olivia Summerlin, Gavin Dixon, and Emily Smith; SEHS students Matthew Nease, Garrett Cook, Braden McGrath, Sheridan Strickland, Micah Wood, Logan Collins, Katlyn Davis, Hope Norris, Lacy Hively, Dalton Brewster, and Cameron West; EMS students Breanna Harris, Haleigh Sewell, Ronan Foster, Isabella Ramos, Trey Smith, Austin McMahon, Luke Plant, Chaslyn Walker, and Connor Menefee; and ECMS students Cassie Sheppard, Colby Malphus, Deena Diaz, Garret Joyner, Shayne LaBonte, Shayne Stickland and Collin Thomas.
A special thanks to those who provided scholarships for students to attend Summer Leaderhsip Camp. Donors include: Effingham County FFA Alumni, Dasher Insurance Company, Senator Jack Hill, and Mr. Bob French.
“Summer Leadership Camp is a unique experience for students that is full of fun and memorable activities,” Camp Manager Russel Towns said. “But the ultimate goal is to provide the atmosphere for teachers and students to connect in such a way that teachers can better invest in their students year-round.”
